The Giants Have More Quarterback Options Than You Think
The New York Football Giants have hit a bit of a rough patch since the exiting of former starting quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this season. No one had expected them to have to draft a new franchise quarterback for next season. They have been mulling over their options and trying to figure out what to do for next season. It’s going to be a struggle but the Giants are going to put themselves back together no matter what happens. They have the entire offseason to figure out what they truly want out of their quarterback position.
During this off-season, General Manager Joe Schoen will pretty much be throwing a lot of decisions into the quarterback locker room. He finished this season with Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle who they signed on toward the end of the season. However, not much had changed when it came to snaps between these three. Schoen has a lot to look into and needs to make a decision before the season officially comes to a close. He can take back DeVito and Lock if he wants to but the stakes are high for both of them.
Everyone is on their case about drafting a top quarterback who is coming right out of college. However, what many don’t realize is that the Giants have more than just draft options when it comes to a new quarterback. There are several options from around the league that are going to hit the free-agency market after the season is officially over. Here are the top three free agency quarterback choices that the Giants have to choose from besides just the draft.
1. Justin Fields (Pittsburgh Steelers)
If the Giants were to sign a new quarterback from the draft market, they should definitely jump on Justin Fields. The Chicago Bears selected Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft. Fields struggled to find his footing while he played for Chicago. The Bears decided it would be good if they traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for the sixth-round pick if Fields were to play 51% of the Steelers snaps, unfortunately, he did not.
Fields did a little bit better while playing in Pittsburgh. He started the season 4-2 for the Steelers while Russell Wilson was out with a calf injury. Despite his decent start for the season, head coach Mike Tomlin benched him in exchange for Wilson upon his return. Wilson took over and things took off in Pittsburgh once again but that doesn’t mean that Fields had a bad start with them. He didn’t get as much play time as he wanted but when he did, he did a decent job of getting the ball down the field.
Fields finished the season with 1,106 passing yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Fields also added five rushing touchdowns, six fumbles, and then forced missed tackles. It is not terrible for a quarterback like him. He just needs work. His agility is fantastic, the only issue is his ability to read what’s going on on the field. That’s something that the Giants have worked with for a while, but with the help of Giants head coach Brian Daboll, if Fields should become a Giant, it should make a decent amount of a difference.
2. Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings)
Sam Darnold has been swirling around the Giants rumors for a while. He had a really great season while playing with the Minnesota Vikings. He was supposed to be the backup quarterback this season for the injured rookie J.J. McCarthy. However, Darnold has taken this team pretty far this season and even to the first round of the playoffs. Something that many NFL viewers never expected to happen and it’s almost as if there is another Cinderella story happening around the NFL. He’s one of the guys that many teams want and will most likely get a lot of offers during the off-season.
Many Giants fans want him to be the next Giants franchise quarterback if they can’t get Cam Ward or someone else to fill the spot. His stats are pretty high for this season. He has played in all 17 games, completed 62.2% of passes, passed for 4,319 yards, scored 35 touchdowns, and only had 12 interceptions. While Minnesota stands at a current season record of 14- 3. Darnold also holds the record with Minnesota for one of the teams with the most wins this season.
It’s a really good look for this backup quarterback. He has been able to make contact when passing the ball, if the Giants were to sign him, he and Malik Nabers would be explosive on the field and get the ball where they need it to be. Darnold would be truly great as a Giant. There are also rumors being passed around the NFL that the Giants may get him in a huge trade with the Vikings during this offseason.
3. Carolina Panthers Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton has also been another quarterback conversation around the NFL this season. He was the man that brought the Carolina Panthers back from the dead. Dalton stepped in when the team made the decision to bench their current starting quarterback Bryce Young. The team had practically tanked with him. However, with Dalton, the team rose up to a record of 5-12. It’s not terrible but it still made a difference from last season.
Dalton’s stats show that he could make a great franchise starting quarterback. He has played in six games in total with the Panthers before he was in a car accident and had to miss several games this season. He had a completion rate of 66.2 this season, passed for 989 yards, scored seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions. It wasn’t half bad for this Carolina team when he was on the field. Dalton made a difference because of how easily he connected on and off the field with the receivers.
If Dalton becomes a Giant, things may look a little different for them. They will know what to do and the Giants will be playing plenty of great snaps despite a few mistakes that can easily be broken. It will be a perfect mix for the Giants if they sign Dalton to the roster. Just what the Giants need to rebuild for the next season.
