Throughout the 2019 offseason, the state of the New York Giants‘ quarterback room will be a highly debated and widely discussed topic around the NFL. Giants fans are split. Their beloved franchise hero, Eli Manning, is now 38 years old. He has received increased criticism over the past two years for his regressing performance. Taking his age and performance into account, fans and analysts have been debating whether or not the Giants should move on from Manning.
Since this is such a highly discussed topic, analysts have even asked Eli’s former teammates what they think. Eli is known for being a great teammate. He has strong relationships with his current and former teammates. Despite this, not everyone has defended him recently. Some former teammates have even admitted that they believe it is time for the Giants to acquire a new quarterback.
Victor Cruz:
Former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz has been asked about Eli on multiple occasions. In one impromptu interview with TMZ, Cruz was asked if he would bench Eli. His response:Â “Maybe, yes at the moment.Just to see what I got in my future. Just to see what’s going on.”
This interview took place midseason in November. Eli never did get benched, so the Giants do not know what they have as their future. Backup rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta saw limited playing time in a blowout against Washington, but that’s about it. The future of the Giants’ quarterback position is still a huge question mark.
Fans believe the Giants will need to find their future franchise signal-caller this offseason, and a couple of Giants legend agree.
Plaxico Burress:
The wide receiver who caught Eli’s game winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII has made his opinion very clear. Plaxico Burress believes the Giants should draft a quarterback this offseason. More specifically, Burress would like to see the Giants draft Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. in 2019. On January 18, Burress stated hon FS1’s Undisputed: “My mindset is if Dwayne Haskins is available at the 6th pick, we gotta take him.â€
This is the mindset of a lot of Giants fans. All over social media Giants fans are calling for the Giants to take Haskins in the 2019 NFL Draft. Some fans and analysts even think the Giants should trade up to ensure they get Haskins.
Michael Strahan:
Former Giants Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan has a different, but similar idea for the Giants in 2019. He too believes the Giants should draft a quarterback in 2019. However, he thinks the Giant should draft a different quarterback: Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray out of Ohio State is a controversial prospect who declared for the draft earlier this week. It is still not confirmed that he will choose the NFL over the MLB, but if he does, he could be a top ten pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Michael Strahan is a fan of Murray’s abilities. During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Strahan discussed how he would handle the Giants’ current quarterback situation. He would handle it in a similar fashion to how the Giants handled it in 2004, when Eli was a rookie. When asked about his plan, Strahan said: “I’d draft (Kyler) Murray and then I’d let him learn from Eli for the year or eight, nine, 10 games.â€
This is a plan plenty of Giants fans could get behind, whether it be Haskins or Murray. Regardless of who the Giants select in the 2019 NFL Draft, they must address the quarterback decision. The fans know it, the players know it, and the front office needs to know it too.