New York Giants: 5 offseason needs in 2019
1. Figure out a succession plan for Eli Manning
This feels an awful lot like deja vu. The Giants still have franchise legend Eli Manning as their starting quarterback but don’t have a clear plan in place for what to do after he moves on.
Gettleman had his choice of quarterbacks not named Baker Mayfield with the second pick of the draft, but opted to instead spend it on Saquon Barkley due to his belief that players selected that high should end up wearing gold jackets in Canton. Barkley was the most dynamic rookie running back in NFL history, but the Giants may live to regret that pick if Sam Darnold develops into a superstar in their own backyard for the Jets.
The first thing the Giants have to decide on is whether or not Manning will be their quarterback for 2019. Manning is due for a whopping $23.2 million cap hit in the final year of his contract, but the Giants could save $17 million of it by cutting the two time Super Bowl champ.
The Giants haven’t shown any inclination towards doing that, however, so the odds are that Manning restructures his deal to finish his career in New York. The problem is that the Giants can’t just sit back and hope that Kyle Lauletta turns into their future starter, so shopping for a quarterback should be high on Gettleman’s list.
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One option could be to try and import a youngish veteran with tangible upside, such as Teddy Bridgewater, in free agency to sit behind Manning for a year and take over in 2020. Another would be to pursue a trade for a more established signal caller, like Case Keenum (now expendable after Denver traded for Joe Flacco) or Derek Carr (who could be available because no one knows what Jon Gruden is thinking out in Oakland).
The most intriguing option to Giants’ fans would be to simply select a quarterback with the sixth pick in this year’s draft, but the crop of passers doesn’t look nearly as mouth watering as last year’s group did. If the Giants opt to take the plunge for a signal caller this season, they could have their pick of a group that includes Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray.