Giants 2021 Unrestricted Free Agent Primer: QB Colt McCoy

Colt McCoy came in and was the ideal backup quarterback behind starter Daniel Jones. But can the Giants do better at this position?

The New York Giants have been knee-deep in evaluating every player on their roster to determine who is part of the team’s future and who will be moving on.

Over the next several days, I will break down every one of the Giants’ unrestricted free agents (UFAs) by revisiting their 2020 seasons, assessing why they should be re-signed.

Then, using OTC's premium stats and advanced valuations tables, I try to arrive at an ideal contract before concluding with a prediction as to whether the player will be a Giant in 2021.

Up next in this series is a backup quarterback Colt McCoy, who received unexpected playing time when starter Daniel Jones had to miss two games due to injury.

Should the Giants bring back McCoy on another one-year deal or look to upgrade?

2020 Season In Review

Ask any NFL team about having to put the backup quarterback into the game due to having an injured starter, and chances are the teams would rather discuss something else.

Well, the New York Giants had to turn to their backup quarterback, Colt McCoy, not once, but twice this season as starter Daniel Jones deal with hamstring and ankle injuries, and McCoy delivered a 1-1 record, including the team's biggest win of the season against Seattle.

What they got from the 34-year-old McCoy was a game manager, a player who didn't really hurt the team but who also wasn't much of a difference-maker.

McCoy did manage the offense to the Giants' biggest win of the year in Seattle, game-managing being McCoy’s calling card. He didn’t hurt the Giants this year, but he’ll also never be a difference-maker.

McCoy, who replaced the long-time NFL experience the team lost when Eli Manning retired, was a calming presence for Jones not just as a sounding board but as someone who wasn't a threat to Jones's starting status.

McCoy's snaps consisted of smart reads and quick throws, but arm strength and athleticism, two very important things in this offense, have never really been part of his game and were missing when he was thrust into the starting role.

But with all that said, if McCoy was starting material, chances are he'd be with a franchise as a starter. Instead, he seems to have accepted his role, and to that end, he was a very underrated part of the Giants' offense.

Why the Giants Should Re-Sign McCoy

McCoy is perfect for the backup quarterback role in that he knows his place and seems to have accepted it. You don't hear him lobbying for playing time, and even during that period where the Giants were playing it coy with whether Jones would be able to play, McCoy kept turning almost every question he got into praise for Jones.

Quarterbacks are fierce competitors by nature. When you get one who can suppress that competitiveness for the team's good and whose play doesn't hurt what you're trying to accomplish, it's not the worst idea in the world to retain him.

Why the Giants Should Let McCoy Walk

You'd like to think that starter Daniel Jones isn't going to end up missing multiple games every season. Still, the sad reality is not only has he missed four games in his first two seasons due to injury until he gets it through his head to recognize when to give up on a play as a runner, but he's also putting himself at a needless risk every time he takes off with the ball.

If that's the case, the Giants might want to look at bringing in a veteran quarterback who's not only willing to sit behind Jones but who has more size, arm strength, and athleticism to his game so that there isn't as much of a drop-off if the backup has to play.

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RELATED: PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED 2021 UFA PRIMERS

• OLB Kyler Fackrell
• DT Dalvin Tomlinson
• RB Wayne Gallman

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Ideal Contract

1-year, $2.275 million deal ($1.075 million base salary, the minimum for a player with 10+ years service, and a $1.2 million roster bonus to be paid if he's on the 53-man roster.)

Prediction

A quick look at the Giants roster shows the team has brought back a lot of players who were with them at some point last year.

There's a reason for that, and it's called familiarity. Given the global pandemic and how it's already begun to force the NFL to alter its off-season calendar, the Giants have seemingly taken the approach of keeping as much of the entire band together as possible.

There's an advantage to that approach. It will allow the team to hit the ground running once they can reconvene in person, be that during an off-season program (which as of right now doesn't appear likely) or training camp.

So yes, the Giants could look to upgrade the backup quarterback spot. Still, McCoy has done everything asked of him without creating waves and has held his own when pushed into action, which are reasons why retaining him on another one-year contract isn't the craziest idea out there.

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