Malik Nabers did his job in 2024. Now, the star rookie wide receiver is looking for a competent quarterback to do theirs for the New York Giants next season.
Malik Nabers wants to compete with the next Giants QB
Per SNY, Nabers touched on what he’d like to see from New York’s next franchise quarterback. The LSU product had this to say on the matter:
“Somebody that can be a leader, come into this offense and learn as quickly as possible…give us a chance to compete,” Nabers said.
Giants’ QB situation became ugly in 2024
The Giants saw their quarterback room spin into turmoil midway through the 2024 campaign. The franchise lost faith in former starter and 2019 No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones, demoting him to scout team safety in practice prior to him forcing his way out of town.
Through 10 games as New York’s starter under center, Jones led the Giants to only two wins and sported an 8-7 touchdown-interception ratio alongside 2,070 passing yards in 2024. The Duke University product was criticized for his indecision and accuracy while leading the storied franchise.
Nabers spoke out against Giants’ QB play midseason
Second-year pro Tommy DeVito took over for Jones as the starter once Jones was released. Yet, he went winless across two starts and despite completing 70.5 percent of his passes, could not reclaim his spark from last season due in large part to a forearm injury and concussion he sustained on the campaign.
Nabers spoke out after the Giants dropped their ninth game of the year and first without Jones in their 30-7 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 24. Per The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll, the 21-year-old said this following the loss and QB switch:
“It ain’t the QB… same outcome when we had DJ at QB,” Nabers said.
That persisted even further down the stretch of the campaign. Drew Lock stepped in and went 1-4 in five starts with a pedestrian 59.1 percent completion rate, 1,071 passing yards, and a 6-5 TD-INT ratio. No matter, he has not been appraised as a potential star franchise QB in his five-year career to date.
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Giants could pair Nabers with elite QB in 2025 NFL Draft
Thus, Nabers, who went for an outstanding 1,204 receiving yards on a Giants single-season record of 109 receptions, wants leadership and talent from the next gunslinger who will feed him the ball. Per Tankathon, New York officially owns the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They have a great chance to land top talents like Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders or Miami QB Cam Ward. Either of those promising potential future stars could be exactly that for the Giants.
Nabers was also seen playing catch with Sanders on the streets of New York City in December. Thus, if Sanders falls to the Giants, the two could form an electric pairing on the field next time out. It appears that the dual-threat talent fits Nabers’ criteria and has his endorsement.
