Could the New York Giants make a quarterback trade to spark their offense and turn around their season?
Daniel Jones was benched for the fourth quarter in the Giants’ Week 7 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles after an embarrassing performance through the first three quarters. The G-Men are expected to stick with Jones as their starter for the time being, however, there is a contingent of Giants fans who want to see the team make a trade to bring in a new quarterback and attempt to spark the offense.
When looking around the NFL, however, the quarterback talent on the trade market is scarce. However, one intriguing name could be on the block: Carolina Panthers quarterback and 2023 first-overall draft pick Bryce Young. The Alabama product was benched after a poor start to this season and could be looking for a change of scenery.
Several teams around the NFL are interested in trading for Panthers QB Bryce Young
On the latest episode of Scoop City, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini said there are a lot of coaches and general managers around the league who are “licking their chops” at the thought of working with Young if the Panthers wanted to move him (h/t Bleacher Report):
“I think there’s a lot of coaches and GM’s out there kind of licking their chops going, ‘maybe we can do something with him because remember he scored high in the draft, he went No. 1 overall.’” Russini said (h/t Clutch Points). “The Panthers weren’t the only team that had Bryce Young as number one in terms of talent at the quarterback spot.”
Considering Giants head coach Brian Daboll’s Alabama University lineage, there could be some intrigue from the G-Men in acquiring Young. Daboll is considered one of the NFL’s top quarterback gurus and offensive minds after unlocking Josh Allen’s potential during his time as the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills. Unlocking Young’s potential could change the course of the Giants’ future.
Giants HC Brian Daboll’s Alabama link could spark his interest in Young
Prior to his time in Buffalo, Daboll spent some time as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2017) working under legendary Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. Daboll still remains in touch with Saban and still leans on him for player evaluation and requests his opinions on some of the SEC’s top prospects.
Perhaps this link could spark some interest in Young and indicate that the Giants were one of the teams in last year’s draft who had Young as a “number one in terms of talent at the quarterback spot,” as Russini mentioned.
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Is there still something for the Giants to unlock in Young?
While it is unlikely to ultimately happen, a trade for Young is an interesting one for the Giants to consider. He was the first-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for many reasons, chief among them being his arm talent and ability to make plays off script. However, that hasn’t necessarily translated to the NFL just yet, with Young sporting a career 11-13 TD-INT ratio in 20 games. Though, much of that could be attributed to the lack of talent surrounding him in Carolina.
Trading for Young, however, would likely come at the expense of fan-favorite third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito. The Giants would not be able to carry four quarterbacks on their roster, so someone would need to get cut, and everyone’s favorite Italian Stallion would likely be the one sent out to bring in Young.
Ultimately, trading for Young is unlikely because of the Giants’ reluctance to bench Jones. He carries a $40 million annual contract and a $47.85 million cap hit for the 2024-25 season. Adding a former first-round pick to the roster could be costly to the salary cap, not to mention the draft capital that the Giants would need to sacrifice.
Trading for Young would give the Giants a youthful quarterback to hopefully build around in the 2025 offseason. However, at that point, the front office might prefer to find and draft their own rookie quarterback prospect, rather than trying to fix Young and turn his career around.
