The general rule of thumb for any NFL franchise is to build a playoff contending team around a quarterback on their rookie deal. With the exception of top quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, etc., most teams need to allocate significant resources to maintain a balanced team – offense and defense. For the New York Giants, it won’t be any different, simply because Eli Manning isn’t considered one of the best passers in the league.
What New York Giants’ Pat Shurmur thinks about the QB situation:
Head coach Pat Shurmur made it apparent that the team is searching for Manning’s successor, and this could be his final season with the organization that drafted him 15 years ago.
Shurmur went as far as to state, they should find a signal caller “sooner than later.” That would indicate that the 2019 NFL draft could finally represent the end of Manning’s illustrious career, and it likely won’t involve Arizona quarterback Josh Rosen in any fashion.
Rosen is entering his second year in the NFL, and Shurmur prefers to have his successor sit a year behind the Giants’ current passer to learn and develop an understanding of the preparation required to win games.
This would imply Rosen’s take over in the third year of his rookie deal. Monetarily, this doesn’t make any sense. The future depends on available cap space and building around a cheap quarterback, trying to remold Rosen’s in his third season doesn’t help the team achieve that goal.
He further stated:
“It’s not Eli’s responsibility to train the next QB. It’s their responsibility to watch him, know what he does is right and learn from him.”
That’s a strong statement that guarantees Manning’s retention in 2019 – it seems as though he’s invincible after securing a $5 million bonus several weeks ago. So, with the possibility of Rosen being ruled out at this point, we can look towards the draft confidently and begin to break down the options available.
Wilson’s take:
Personally, I’m not sold Shurmur is all in on Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins. He’s known for helping quarterbacks succeed, no matter their experience or draft pick. He turned the undrafted Case Keenum into a playoff-caliber quarterback. That being said, I wouldn’t rule out a potential change of course – drafting defenders at No. 6 & 17, while waiting until the second round to grab a quarterback.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the Giants package several picks, moving into the second round and grab a prospect like Will Grier.