New York Giants: Manning should do what’s best for himself
Eli Manning has said he wants to remain with Big Blue, but if a better opportunity comes along he must consider it.
If the New York Giants decide to draft Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold and rebuild, they may want Manning to remain a Giant. They may want him to groom the next franchise quarterback for a season or even half of a season.
The other possibility if they take a quarterback is drafting Rosen or Darnold first and then making all other roster moves for the present. This would be a similar approach to what the Kansas City Chiefs did this season.
The Chiefs used their first-round pick on Patrick Mahomes but made all their other roster moves to help Alex Smith and the current roster.
Manning said he wants to remain a Giant and probably feels the team should go for it all at least once more before he retires. With talent on the roster on both sides of the ball, it is possible the Giants go this route regardless if they draft a new franchise quarterback.
Big Blue’s roster has plenty of talent, so the Giants might want to go for it one more time before rebuilding. The roster includes Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, Landon Collins, Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, and some good young and veteran talent.
New York Giants
The Chiefs Approach
If the Giants decide they want to take the same approach as Kansas City, or they decide they want to bypass on a quarterback as a whole in the draft then Manning’s best fit may still be with the Giants.
If the G-Men decide the team needs to go through the rebuilding process and only want Manning back to hold the place much like Kurt Warner did for him, then what’s best for Manning’s career might not be what he wants to do in his heart.
Manning To Jacksonville?
If things don’t work out with the Giants rather than accept a role like Warner, Manning should take his talents elsewhere.
The Jacksonville Jaguars won 10 games with Blake Bortles under center. They are just two games away from the Super Bowl, but the question will be how far the defense can take them if the offense plays like it did Sunday?
Manning’s former head coach Tom Coughlin is Jacksonville’s executive vice president of football operations. This makes the ties obvious. In their first playoff game since 2007 Blake Bortles passed for 87 yards in a 10-3 win. The Jaguars have Pro Bowl talent in their pass rush and in the secondary.
Jalen Ramsey was named a first-team All-Pro, and A.J. Bouye was named a second-team All-Pro. The NFL does not have a better cornerback duo. They have talent at linebacker with Paul Posluszny, Myles Jack, and Telvin Smith. They also have a dominant pass rush with Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell.
Jacksonville has a great young running back in Leonard Fournette and some young wide receivers. The Jags could also have the potential cap space to bring in a wide receiver like Jarvis Landry or Michael Crabtree. They could also bring Allen Robinson back.
What About Denver?
Despite the Broncos defense still being dominant, their quarterback play has been terrible. This year they had a trio of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, and Paxton Lynch.
Siemian and Osweiler are nothing more than backups and Lynch may be the long-term answer but so far it has not looked that way. They have two good receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and an improving offensive line.
Denver also hired former Giants offensive coordinator and friend of Manning, Mike Sullivan.
The Broncos defense is still great, but they are getting older. The veterans are getting frustrated by the lack of offense the team generates.
At the end of the day, we don’t know what Manning wants.
Manning may want to be a part of the Giants rebuilding process as his career winds down. He may push for the Giants to go all in one more time. He may want to pick a new team that has a better playoff chance than the Giants.
Manning will think long and hard about his future. In the end, he may have to make a hard choice, finish his career a Giant or chase a third title elsewhere. The way the Giants attack the offseason could make the decision easy for him. For now, it’s just wait and see.
Next: Matt Patricia Destined To Be Big Blue's Next Head Coach?