Free agency is a dangerous beast, especially when you have high expectations for your team. The New York Giants entered the market with more than $75 million in their pockets, but only managed to land tier-B players. It’s often forgotten that players have a preference too, and it’s frequent that they defer opportunities to go to their location of choice.
We saw this occur with linebacker Cory Littleton, who ended up in Las Vegas with the Raiders under Jon Gruden for a contract not much higher than the one Blake Martinez earned from the Giants.
However, when you can’t land your backup quarterback due to a minuscule difference in contract terms, it’s a bit concerning. The Giants were in on gun-slinging backup Matt Moore, who previously won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, but he elected to refuse their offer, which resulted in GM Dave Gettleman signing the younger, Colt McCoy.
Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports that Moore turned down the Giants’ offer:
The Giants had previously been linked to former Kansas City and Miami backup Matt Moore, but it’s McCoy who will be joining Big Blue’s QB room. A source tells Vacchiano that the Giants did make an offer to Moore, but he turned it down.
As of now, the Giants currently have McCoy and Alex Tanney on the roster. I anticipate that Tanney will be cut in favor of McCoy, who has proven he can be a reliable backup when called upon. However, Tanney has been significant in the growth and development of Jones. That’s a primary reason Pat Shurmur favored Tanney last season. Sometimes, it comes down to who will be a better teammate than player at backup quarterback.
It’s a bit concerning that Moore was quick to reject the Giants’ offer, but we can likely cough it up to contractual negotiations.