Which New York Giants player is going to be the next one to get shipped off to another city? Nobody knows. While trading away Eli Apple didn’t seem like too bad of a move considering the team’s current situation, the trade of Damon Harrison to the Detroit Lions for a draft pick that doesn’t match his value is proof that right now, anybody on the Giants can be moved. Even the players who have large contracts aren’t safe, and of course, quarterback Eli Manning has been drawn into the rumors.
It’s after Manning threw for almost 400 yards against the Falcons, but despite the performance, the Giants lost anyway and secured a 1-6 start to the season. Not the way that many predicted things would be going into the season, but the Giants are stuck with their poor start anyway and now that things are beyond the point of no return, the fire sale has started.
However, Manning hasn’t thought about becoming the next player to be moved in these trades. “I haven’t thought about the trade scenario and hey, this organization is the only team I’ve ever played for and only thing I know. I love the Giants. It’s hard to imagine being with another organization,” Manning recently told Mike Francesa.
It’s hard not to wonder about the trade possibilities, however. The Harrison trade means that the Giants aren’t withholding their big name players from the fire sale, and Manning is still a very big name compared to some of the quarterbacks in the league that are starting right now. He still has some time left in his career if put behind a good offensive line, which the Giants don’t have.
The Giants would also certainly get more value than they did from the other trades, after receiving a fourth round pick for Eli Apple and a fifth round one for Damon Harrison. On the other hand, this trade would appear to be throwing in the towel, which isn’t what any team wants to appear to be doing at this point in the season. It’s pretty early to embrace the tank, and that’s what the Giants would be doing by going to Kyle Lauletta or any of the free agent quarterbacks currently available.
Furthermore, it’s almost a given that the Giants are going to draft a quarterback. If they do that, it would be smart to have Manning on the roster to pass down some veteran experience. That, aside from the fact that the team likely wants to avoid the perception of throwing in the towel and tanking, is one good reason why Manning’s dismissal of a trade might not be unreasonable.
Still, there’s a chance that a trade will come out of nowhere and surprise all of us… Few would have seen Harrison being traded for a fifth round pick, if you asked them even a few weeks ago, after all.