Giants Country

New York Giants Reader Mailbag: The "All About the Quarterback" Edition

Let's check in with the readers to see what's on their minds this week.

Patricia Traina

NYG-ONSI Mailbag
NYG-ONSI Mailbag / Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI
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Note: With the news of Jameis Winston's signing, some questions previously received might no longer be applicable this week and have been cut from the column.

I think the intention is for Tyrone Tracy, Jr. to be a long-term solution. I realize this year’s draft class is super deep at running back, but I think you have to look at Devin Singletary and ask yourself how much longer he will be on the roster.

His guaranteed money runs out after this year, so I could see a scenario in which the Giants draft a running back on Day 3 to start grooming for the day they move on from Singletary.

I'm in favor of anything that ensures that the outcome of a game is not affected by human error.

You’re not talking apples to apples here. The APY for a veteran free agent who has been a starter as recently as last year is sure to be higher than the APY for a guy who has been a backup. There is no way that Aaron Rodgers or even Russell Wilson gets the same APY as Jameis Winston.

That said, I think as far as contract length goes, I’d roll with a two-year deal, regardless of who the veteran bridge guy is. That would allow for the spreading out of the signing bonus plus ensure you have a veteran on board for next year so that if you do draft a rookie quarterback this year, you can let that kid sit and then come next year, you have a safety net just in case the season hits the rocks.

Thanks for the question, James. You need to remember that with the cap going up each year, cap figures will depreciate. 

Let me give you an example using $40 million as an APY and the current cap figure ($279.2 million) and the estimated cap figures for 2026 ($295.5 million) and 2026 ($311 million), the estimations via Over the Cap. 

In 2025, that $40 million APY will count for 14.3% of the total cap. In 2026, that percentage drops to 13.5% and then in 2027, that figure drops to 12.8%. 

Remember that the cap has been coming in higher than what OTC has been estimating, thanks to the TV deal revenues kicking in. So that’s why I say that today’s $40 million APY isn’t going to count for the same against a cap next year or two years from now.

I think Ezeudu's days as a tackle are over based on the veterans they brought in to compete for the swing tackle role.

I think the Giants’ decision would be Cam Ward, and I’d have my Day 1 draft analysis material written and ready to go by now.  Seriously, though, I also think they would still be looking to grab a veteran bridge quarterback, but maybe not a higher-end option.

Interesting question. Humphrey is a skyscraper (the term we use for a tall receiver). I have often wondered if the Giants plan to try to move Hyatt at some point in a trade, as with his reps having diminished from Year 1 to Year 2, he's either not the fit for what they thought he'd be, or there is another issue there that they have tried to address without success.

If it's the latter, given that they have to win games this year, I have wondered if perhaps guys who were previously on a scholarship will no longer have that luxury.

Yes. Did you not see how poorly the defense performed last year?  As for spending all this money, let me direct you to this page from Over the Cap that shows cap space. What do you notice?

Give up? The Patriots and Raiders, two teams drafting in the top 10 this year, still have a lot of cap space to spend. This isn’t to say you should blow all your cap space in free agency, but you do have to spend to be competitive.

Every year, a team, regardless of what they did the prior year, aims to “go for it,” regardless of the moves made. The bottom line is the Giants can’t go into next season with just one quarterback on the roster who may or may not be here beyond the upcoming season. So, I absolutely would draft a quarterback somewhere. 

I would build up the depth on the offensive and defensive lines. As for right guard, unless the plan is to draft someone, I suspect they will see if Evan Neal can make the conversion to where he can compete with Greg Van Roten, Jake Kubas, and Aaron Stinnie.

New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal will cross-train at guard this spring.
New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal will cross-train at guard this spring. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

What do you think Giants will do at Guard? I see they brought back Van Roten and Stinnie. I hope they address this one area, and that Evan Neal isn’t a project for us this year. We sure could use depth on the OL. –Henry B.

Henry, unless they plan on drafting a guard, which is a possibility, I think the hope is that Neal can pick up enough to play it at this level. If not, they have Van Roten and Stinnie as fallback options.

Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter would likely still be in play for the Giants at No. 3 if he's still on the board.
Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter would likely still be in play for the Giants at No. 3 if he's still on the board. / Tanner Pearson-Imagn Images

With the signing of Golston and quality depth in the secondary, would you agree that the Giants are no longer interested in drafting Hunter or Carter?

And with the draft capital they retain by not moving up, rather than take Sanders (even if he's available at 3), wouldn't the Giants be better off drafting a stud right tackle, moving Elumenor inside, and moving up from their second-round draft to get Dart? – Peter D.

Nope, I disagree. Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi always used to say you can never have too many cornerbacks and pass rushers. That’s a good problem and allows you to do different things with your sub-packages. So, I absolutely think that Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are still in play. 

As per your second question, this is a deep class for tackles, so I would be surprised if they drafted one in the first round. As of this writing, the vibe I’m getting is they’ll go defense with their first pick, but there is still a little more than a month to go, and things can change. 

I do, however, think that adding offensive line depth should be a top priority in this coming draft. As for moving up to get Dart, I made that point on my latest podcast, so yes, I’d favor that move if Dart were still there before the Steelers went on the clock.

At some point, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
At some point, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. / Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I took a look at Eli's snub at the HOF. I wanted to find a quarterback with a similar number of years in and find out how far behind Eli is. I heard about Warren Moon. He had a 17-year career, Eli's 16, so it's a nice comparison.

The Stats. Passing Moon: 49,325, Eli 57,023. AVG per pass:  Moon 7.2 Eli 7.0. Games played: Moon 208, Eli 236. Passing TD: Moon 291, Eli 366. Int: Moon 233, Eli 244. Pass percentage: Moon 58.4%, Eli 60.3%. QB RTG: Moon 80.9, Eli 84.1.

Rushing yds.: Moon 1,736, Eli 567. Rush TD: Moon 22, Eli 7. Fumbles: Moon 26, Eli 26. Super Bowl wins: Moon 0, Eli 2. (Note: Eli had probably one of the greatest plays in the SB. Escaped about 3 sure sacks and hit his receiver with the helmet catch.)

Eli played 13 seasons without missing a game; it should have been 14, except for a lame-brained HC. Moon 4 seasons. 

Eli is better in the most critical categories. I am not saying Moon does not deserve to be in the HOF, just saying Eli does. Fair comparison? – Joe G.

Yes, fair comparison. (BTW, did you know George Young, when he was the Giants general manager, wanted to sign Moon from the CFL back in the day?)

But as was discussed on my podcast shortly after the snub (I did two shows on that with two voters), the HOF rules changed, and the feeling I got, based on the fact that no first-time nominees were voted in, was that the committee was trying to address a backlog.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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