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2022 New York Football Giants (under new management of Schoen & Daboll) (3 Viewers)

Yenrub

Footballguy
I guess I should have made this thread a while ago.

The Giants are under new management and there is hope for a brighter future

2022 draft class

Round 1: No. 5 – Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon

Round 1: No. 7 (from CHI) – Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

Round 2: No. 43 (from ATL) – Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky

Round 3: No. 67  – Joshua Ezeudu, G, North Carolina

Round 3: No. 81 (from MIA) – Cordale Flott, CB, LSU

Round 4: No. 112 (from CHI) – Daniel Bellinger, TE, San Diego State

Round 4: No. 114 – Dane Belton, S, Iowa

Round 5: No. 146 (from NYJ) – Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana

Round 5: No. 147 – D.J. Davidson, DT, Arizona State 

Round 5: No. 173 (from KC via BAL) – Marcus McKethan, G, North Carolina

Round 6: No. 182 – Darrian Beavers, LB, Cincinnati

2021 thread

 
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(The Athletic) Giants release CB James Bradberry: What it means & how it impacts the salary cap
 

Giants general manager Joe Schoen tried to trade James Bradberry all offseason. But when those efforts were unsuccessful, Schoen had no choice but to release the veteran cornerback on Monday.

Schoen knew when he was hired in January that difficult decisions would need to be made to clean up the salary cap mess he inherited from Dave Gettleman. The avenue to create the most cap space was always dumping Bradberry, whose 2022 cap hit ballooned to $21.9 million after a pair of restructures last year.

Schoen could have created $12.1 million in cap savings (with a $9.7 million dead money charge remaining on the cap) if he cut Bradberry before the start of the new league year on March 16. The cap savings now are reduced to $10.1 million because $2 million of Bradberry’s $13.4 million salary became guaranteed when the league year began. That $2 million is now added to Bradberry’s dead money charge ($11.7 million total) on the 2022 cap, although the Giants should get a $2 million credit on the 2023 cap after Bradberry signs with a new team due to standard offset language in his contract.

The cap savings would have remained at $12.1 million if Schoen had found a trade partner, since the acquiring team would have been on the hook for all of Bradberry’s salary. Schoen gambled that he could find a team that would trade for a player that he recently referred to as “still a high-caliber starting corner.”

During a WFAN interview last week, Schoen said of trade talks that, “We had a couple different times there was compensation in place and the contract never worked out.”

Schoen neglected to offer any details on the trade partners, but a source said the Giants had agreed to a deal with the Texans, believed to be for a late-round draft pick. But Bradberry and the Texans couldn’t agree on contract terms, so the deal was quashed. The Giants were willing to pay some of Bradberry’s salary to accommodate a trade, but they would have wanted a better pick in return, so there was never a middle ground that was acceptable for all parties.

There was no motivation for Bradberry, who has only made the playoffs once in six seasons, to facilitate a trade that would lock him into a below-market deal beyond this year with a team expected to be even worse than the rebuilding Giants. Bradberry won’t get a $13.4 million salary from any team at this point, but if he’s going to settle for less, it makes sense to sign a one-year deal with a team of his choosing.

Schoen has acknowledged that discarding Bradberry will leave “a huge void” in the defense, but the Giants never showed any interest in extending the 28-year-old, who earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2020, the first season of a three-year, $43.5 million contract. Bradberry has been exceptionally durable (two missed games over the past five seasons) and consistent, although his performance dipped last season. Bradberry isn’t viewed as a fit in new defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s man coverage-heavy system, according to a source.

The Giants could have restructured Bradberry’s contract without his consent, which would have created $6.1 million in cap savings this year while pushing $6.1 million to the 2023 void year already on his contract for a dead money total of $7.5 million next year.

Schoen has proven that he has no issue taking his medicine immediately, however, as he cut veteran safety Logan Ryan in March to create negligible cap savings while leaving a dead money charge worth at least $11.5 million (pending the outcome of Ryan’s $3 million grievance). Buffalo carried an astronomical $70 million in dead money during Schoen’s first full year as Bills assistant GM.

There were no serious discussions about a pay cut between the Giants and Bradberry, according to a source. The time for that conversation would have been in March before the start of free agency when teams were flush with cap space. That’s when wide receiver Sterling Shepard and linebacker Blake Martinez, who are both recovering from major injuries, accepted steep pay cuts from the Giants.

If the Giants had cut Bradberry before free agency, he likely would have earned a multiyear contract in the $10 million annual range. Darious Williams, who is 28 with no career Pro Bowl selections, signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Jaguars on the first day of free agency. Stephon Gilmore, who is more accomplished than Bradberry but is also three years older with durability concerns, signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Colts two weeks before the draft.

Though trade interest in Bradberry was tepid, expect a stronger market to materialize now that teams have the freedom to negotiate a deal from scratch without needing to part with any draft picks. The Eagles, Chiefs, Raiders, Bengals and Steelers are among the potential landing spots.

As for the Giants, their cornerback depth chart is now frightfully thin, especially considering the demands placed on the position in Martindale’s blitz-heavy defense. Adoree’ Jackson, who signed a three-year, $39 million contract last offseason, will take over as the No. 1 corner. Jackson was solid last season, but he continued a trend by missing four games. The 26-year-old has missed 22 games over the past three seasons.

Even with limited resources, it’s surprising that the Giants didn’t make more of an effort to add a capable replacement for Bradberry in free agency or the draft. The top option to fill Bradberry’s spot is Aaron Robinson, who was picked in the third round of the 2021 draft to play in the slot. Other unproven options include rookie third-round pick Cor’Dale Flott, who projects more as a slot corner; 2021 sixth-round pick Rodarius Williams, who is recovering from a torn ACL; and Jarren Williams, a former undrafted free agent who flashed potential in limited action late last season.

The Giants may want to give those young players a shot to seize the job, but they could use a veteran insurance policy. Jimmy Smith, who spent the past 10 years in Baltimore with Martindale, seems like a logical fit if the 33-year-old has anything left in the tank.

Though the Giants will mostly need the cap savings from Bradberry’s release for the draft class, they’ll have some wiggle room to bid on remaining free agents whose price tags are slightly higher than the minimum contracts they’ve been doling out. The defensive line is one area they could target now that they have more breathing room.

The Giants will have roughly $16 million in cap space after releasing Bradberry. The Giants need approximately $12.5 million in cap space to sign their draft class, which they can now do when their picks arrive for rookie minicamp on Thursday.

The Giants still will likely need to restructure defensive lineman Leonard Williams’ contract eventually, even though Schoen has called that type of move a “last resort.” In addition to the draft class, the Giants will need cap space for their practice squad and in-season operating expenses. But by releasing Bradberry, the Giants can hold off on a Williams restructure until they absolutely need the money, and they can better control how much is pushed into the future.

That focus on the future has driven most of Schoen’s decisions in his first offseason. So even though releasing Bradberry will make the 2022 Giants worse, Schoen’s primary goal is setting up the franchise for long-term success.

 
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(The Athletic) Giants’ undrafted free agents: Meet RB Jashaun Corbin and the offensive players
 

The overhaul of the New York Giants’ roster hit overdrive on draft weekend. New general manager Joe Schoen picked 11 players in the draft and then added 14 more undrafted free agents. Those 25 new faces, plus several dozen tryout players will be on the field this weekend for the Giants’ rookie minicamp.

The paths of first-round picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal to the Giants have received plenty of coverage. But the undrafted free agents tend to fly under the radar. So here are the stories of their five undrafted free agents on offense. The defensive undrafted free agents will be covered on Friday:

Jashaun Corbin, RB, Florida State

Jashaun Corbin became Texas A&M’s starter as a sophomore after averaging 5.7 yards per carry as the No. 2 back as a freshman. The arrow was pointing up for the former four-star recruit, who had over 40 scholarship offers coming out of Rockledge (Fla.) High.

But a routine tackle during the second game of the 2019 season derailed Corbin’s career, as his upper hamstring tore off his tailbone.

“I got tackled kind of funky,” Corbin said. “I did a complete split. It was just one of those freak things that you can’t control no matter what you do. It was a pretty crazy injury. It was one of the rarer injuries. It’s extremely hard for that to happen.”

Corbin had surgery to reattach the hamstring and missed the rest of the season. After undergoing surgery, he got around on a scooter for the first two months, then progressed to crutches and finally a leg brace. It took four or five months before he ditched the brace.

“After the brace got taken off, it was really just getting my leg back stronger,” Corbin said. “Once I got the brace off, I just felt like my leg was a noodle. It just felt weird. It was crazy. Just looking back at it, it was like I’m just thankful I got through that.”

Going through the lengthy rehab was a challenge, but Corbin found the silver lining in the process.

“It was a tough process, but ultimately I feel like I needed it. I grew as a person and as a football player,” Corbin said. “It just taught me to cherish everything and cherish the sport that we play. It just gave me a different outlook on life in general. It was something that was good in the long run.”

Corbin originally committed to Florida State but flipped to Texas A&M to follow coach Jimbo Fisher to College Station. After the injury, Corbin decided to transfer to FSU to be closer to his family. So he was starting over at a new school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while rehabbing a major injury.

Still, Corbin became Florida State’s top back immediately, producing 401 yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries in the 2020 season.

“Mentally, not playing an entire year, you have to get through it just because it’s something that’s traumatic,” Corbin said. “I had never been through that before. It’s typically like that when you go through a major injury. The next year you have some growing pains getting back into the swing of things. I had a decent year and then this past year was when I returned back to who I was before the injury and had a pretty good year.”

The 5-foot-11, 202-pound Corbin had 887 yards and seven touchdowns on 143 carries last season. That was enough to draw interest from the Giants, who didn’t draft any running backs despite a thin backfield. Corbin is the only undrafted running back signed by the Giants, and the $110,000 guaranteed he received signals his value to the team.

Going undrafted doesn’t come close to matching some of the adversity Corbin has already faced in his career.

“Obviously, I was a little hurt not getting drafted, but honestly, it’s a blessing in disguise,” Corbin said. “It just adds another chip on my shoulder. I just feel like that’s the story of my life, having to prove people wrong and prove the people who believe in me right. I’m just thankful they gave me the opportunity and I’ve got to go make the most of it.”

Jeremiah Hall, TE, Oklahoma

Jeremiah Hall always wanted to have the ball in his hands. But that wasn’t in the cards when he started playing youth football in Charlotte, N.C.

“I played in a league where they had weight limits,” Hall said. “I wanted to play tight end and have the ball in my hands at some point in time during the game, but I was kind of chubby back then, so I ended up playing offensive line and defensive line. I still couldn’t get the ball, so I quit football until I got to middle school.”

Hall played some running back and tight end in middle school and his freshman year of high school. A new head coach took over before Hall’s sophomore year and gave him a position that paved his path to the NFL.

“He’s like, ‘Look, I can see you at this H-back role.’ It took me a while to learn the ropes, but I’ve embraced that ever since,” Hall said. “Next thing you know, I’m playing receiver and running back, wing, tight end — basically everything on offense except quarterback and the offensive line.”

Lincoln Riley, who was an assistant at East Carolina from 2010 to 2014, saw Hall early in his high school career. By the time Hall became a three-star recruit, there was an obvious fit in Riley’s offense at Oklahoma, where he became head coach in 2017.

“They had a guy by the name of Dimitri Flowers,” Hall said. “To see him develop over the couple of years that I was watching Oklahoma prior to me signing with them was like a beacon of hope for me. His junior and senior year, he ends up shining and gets a chance at the NFL. At the time, that was all that I wanted.”

Hall’s role steadily increased each year, culminating with 32 catches for 334 yards and four touchdowns last season.

“My role started off small at first and it grew to what it was this past year. I was all over the field,” Hall said. “This whole priority free agent thing, the role in itself is not new to me. Having to grow into a role (where) opportunities present themselves later on down the road, is not something that I’m new to. If anything, I embrace it.”

Hall is entering the NFL with his sights set high.

“I aim to beat out what (six-time Pro Bowl fullback) Kyle Juszczyk has done over the past few years,” Hall said. “When I look at my goals for the year, although he was a fourth-round pick and I’m a free agent, that doesn’t change anything in my mind. I aim to beat out all his stats. I aim to be as important of a guy on my team as he is for his. I want to contribute just like he has and more.”

The 6-foot-1, 239-pound Hall will be able to learn what has made the versatile Juszczyk so effective from Giants tight ends coach Andy Bischoff, who was on the Ravens staff for two years when Juszczyk, now a 49er, was in Baltimore. Bischoff also coached three-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard in Baltimore.

The Giants want that type of Swiss Army knife in their offense, so Hall, who got $30,000 guaranteed, has a real shot to make the roster.

“I’m not a person that needs promises. I just need a chance. That’s all I wanted,” Hall said. “People look at my story and the only thing they can say is that I’ve earned everything that I’ve gotten. I’m willing to go up there to New York and do the exact same thing that I’ve done in the past.”

Andre Miller, TE, Maine

Old Town, Maine, is not exactly a hotbed for college football recruiting. Making matters more challenging for Andre Miller, he didn’t have the SAT scores necessary to accept the lone scholarship offer he received from the University of Maine.

“That was kind of my first bump in the road,” Miller said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was an 18-year-old kid kind of going through it by myself. My mom didn’t play sports and I don’t know my father, so my mom is a single mother of three kids. I was trying to go through it on my own, figure things out.”

Miller first enrolled at Division III Husson University in Bangor, Maine, in 2016. He got injured midway through the season and then learned that he could become qualified if he earned an associate degree. So he left Husson and enrolled at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor.

Eastern Maine didn’t have a football program, but that was fine with Miller because he didn’t want to burn another year of eligibility at a low-level school. Instead, he focused on getting his associate degree as fast as possible. He was intent on getting to Maine, but he wasn’t always convinced the FCS program still wanted him.

“I would reach out to the coaches and ask them questions, but since I was a non-qualifier — I didn’t know this — they couldn’t really talk to me,” Miller said. “So I kind of took at it as like, ‘Dang, they’re switching up on me quick here.’ And then I’m figuring out the rules as I’m going and I joke with the coaches now like, ‘You guys were about one email away from me going to (rival New Hampshire).’ I knew Maine was always in my heart and always there for me.”

Miller enrolled at Maine in 2018 and immediately had a role on special teams and as a backup receiver. He combined for 60 catches, 1,032 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games over the spring (COVID-19 canceled the fall 2020 season) and fall 2021 seasons.

The 6-foot-2, 228-pound Miller had that success at wide receiver, but he’s being viewed as a tight end by the Giants. Other teams had the same plan for Miller during the pre-draft process, which caused him to take a crash course on a new position.

“I was meeting extra with my offensive coordinator, Andrew Dresner,” Miller said. “I was telling him what teams were telling me and my agent, ‘Teams might want me to play tight end so can we start going over more identifying fronts, blitzes and all those things that I knew about but I didn’t really have to focus on as much as a wideout.”

It’s not unusual for bigger college wide receivers to transition to tight end in the NFL. The Giants’ No. 1 tight end, Ricky Seals-Jones, played wide receiver at Texas A&M before shifting to tight end as an undrafted free agent in 2017. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound Seals-Jones is bigger than Miller, but Miller is up for the challenge.

“I’m all for that,” Miller said. “Any way I can contribute to the team and bring success, I’m going to do that.”

Austin Allen, TE, Nebraska

As a 6-foot-8 junior at Aurora (Neb.) High, Austin Allen figured he was headed toward a basketball scholarship from one of the mid-major programs recruiting him. But after a breakout junior football season, Allen’s plans changed abruptly.

“When I got the Nebraska (football scholarship) offer, I was on a bus ride to a basketball game with my buddies,” Allen said. “We were all in the back of the bus and it was all rowdy and I saw that the person who was calling me was the (offensive coordinator) at Nebraska. I told my buddies, ‘Shut up, this is important!’”

There was no question that Allen would accept the offer from his home-state school.

“All the mid-major schools that were already reaching out to me in basketball kind of backed off,” Allen said. “My first offer in football was Nebraska, so they couldn’t really compete with that.”

Playing for Nebraska was a dream for Allen, whose hometown of Phillips has a population of 156. He drove 18 miles to high school in Aurora, which has a population of 4,400.

Growing up in small-town Nebraska, Allen was surrounded by the agriculture industry. He got his degree in mechanized systems management.

“With this degree, you’d probably go into the farm world and find better ways to make things more efficient, like how could a tractor plow a field using less fuel with more power output,” Allen said. “It’s just the mathematics behind the ag world and how to make it more efficient.”

Allen said companies in Nebraska have already told him they’d have a job for him whenever he’s done playing football. The 6-foot-8, 253-pounder is hoping that’s at least a decade away, and he thinks the Giants’ tight end depth chart sets him up to get his foot in the door.

“I know they really wanted me,” Allen said. “They made the free-agent deal pretty appetizing, and then the roster situation was one of those things where I feel like I can come in and make an impact, so I felt like it was just a good fit for me overall.”

Allen can lean on his agents for advice on making it as an undrafted free agent. He has three representatives, including former offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles, who played in the NFL from 2014 to 2018, and former running back Zach Zenner, who played in the NFL from 2015 to 2019. His third rep is veteran agent Chris Gittings, who repped Sirles and Zenner as players.

“It’s great to have two guys that are fresh out of the NFL that still have a name that (resonates) across the league and (with) these coaching staffs and in front of these GMs,” Allen said. “That was nice about working with those guys because they’ve been through it and they’ve been in my exact shoes.”

Josh Rivas, OG, Kansas State

Josh Rivas considers run blocking his strength as an offensive lineman. So it should be encouraging for the Giants that the former Kansas State guard didn’t allow a sack in 362 pass-blocking reps last season.

“You drill something every day, you just get better and better at it,” Rivas said.

Rivas played both guard spots early in his college career before settling in at left guard as a redshirt sophomore, making 21 starts over the past two seasons. At 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, Rivas fits the profile of the guards the Giants drafted this year — 6-foot-4, 308-pound Josh Ezeudu in the third round and 6-foot-6, 340-pound Marcus McKethan in the fifth round.

“Looking at who they picked up, they’re big and athletic guards,” Rivas said. “It’s a good fit for me.”

Rivas grew up in a blue-collar household in Hutchinson, Kan. Both of his parents worked on railroads: His mother retired last year after 30 years, while his father is due to retire at the end of this year.

“My mother was a machine operator,” Rivas said. “They make the tracks flat. So if there are bumps or dips in it, she’ll go in there with her machine and raise the track or lower it depending on which way it needs to go. My dad is a welder, so he’ll weld frogs together, which basically splits the track where one track goes into two. He’ll weld the rails together to make it continuous.”

That background served Rivas well when he got to Kansas State to play for legendary coach Bill Snyder.

“Snyder was there for my first two years. It was a lot of hard work,” Rivas said. “Everything was down to a detail. You couldn’t wear red into the building (due to the colors of rivals Nebraska and Oklahoma), you couldn’t wear a hat inside the building, you couldn’t wear earrings. It was old school. I don’t mind old school because my parents are old school, my grandparents are old school. I kind of grew up that way, so it really didn’t bother me. I actually enjoyed it. He was a good coach to be under.”

Rivas, who didn’t receive any guaranteed money from the Giants, knows he’s starting at the bottom of the totem pole.

“I think of myself as the underdog,” Rivas said. “I felt like that through my whole entire football career. K-State helped me realize that because everybody overlooked us for everything. Just get my foot in the door and just take off with it.”


Scouting/Highlight Vids:

Jashaun Corbin, RB, Florida State

Jeremiah Hall, TE, Oklahoma

Andre Miller, TE, Maine

Austin Allen, TE, Nebraska

Josh Rivas, OG, Kansas State

If a thread ever gets started on one of these guys, I feel happy I can steal Duggan's stuff to put in there. 😁

 
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(The Athletic) Giants’ undrafted free agents: Meet DL Jabari Ellis and the defensive players

On Thursday, you were introduced to the Giants’ offensive undrafted free agents. Now you’ll get to know their defensive counterparts:

Christopher Hinton, DT, Michigan

Christopher Hinton was born five years after his father, Chris Hinton, retired from the NFL. Christopher grew up knowing his father was a professional football player, but the elder Hinton didn’t brag about his accomplishments. So Christopher didn’t realize how good his father was until he was in middle school.

“That’s when they did the ’30 for 30′ on him,” Christopher said.

The feature about the 1983 NFL Draft aired in 2013 as part of ESPN’s acclaimed documentary series. Titled “Elway to Marino,” the documentary focused on the six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 1983 draft. The elder Hinton became a piece of NFL history when he was picked fourth by the Broncos and then traded to the Colts for No. 1 pick John Elway.

It’s one of the most famous — or infamous — trades in NFL history. Elway, of course, went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history, winning a pair of Super Bowls during a 16-year career in Denver. But Hinton became much more than the answer to a trivia question, earning seven Pro Bowl selections during his 13-year career.

“When he did the ’30 for 30,’ I was like, ‘OK, you were pretty good!’” Christopher Hinton said. “Just the older you get, the more knowledge you get about football, you realize that he was one of the best offensive linemen to ever play, especially at that time. With him being in the Ring of Honor with the Colts, that speaks volumes for the type of player he was. That also speaks volumes about him that it took me this long to realize, really through other people and through other sources, how good he was.”

Despite his accomplishments, Chris Hinton didn’t force his son to play football.

“I think it was 10th-grade year when I started getting offers and he was like, ‘Do you really want to play football?’” Christopher Hinton said. “Because it was starting to get really serious. He was like, ‘If you don’t want to play, I would never be the one to force you to play. But if you’re really serious about this football thing, then I’m going to be here for you full-fledged, whatever you need and whenever you need it, I’ll be here for you.’”

Christopher was serious about football. The Johns Creek, Ga., native developed into a five-star recruit playing on the offensive and defensive lines. But Christopher didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps as an offensive lineman, instead committing to Michigan as a defensive tackle.

“I honestly hated offensive line,” Christopher Hinton said. “I’ve always been able to move really well and been able to use that to my advantage when it comes to being on the defensive line. I’ve always just liked defense better, the aggressiveness. I like hitting people, I like making plays.”

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Hinton did the dirty work inside at Michigan while surrounded by top draft picks throughout his career, including the No. 2 selection this year, Aidan Hutchinson.

“I’m not going to go out a limb and say we’re D-line U, but we have a lot of great players who played among the D-line that went to the University of Michigan,” Hinton said. “Playing with guys like that pushes you to be your best because you want to make plays for those guys and they want to make plays for you.”

Hinton had multiple offers as an undrafted free agent, but he chose the Giants because of the opportunity to earn a roster spot and familiarity with the scheme (it likely didn’t hurt that the Giants gave him $115,000 guaranteed).

“It’s a similar defense that I ran in college so I felt like it was just a good situation,” Hinton said. “Our DC was under (Giants defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale) when he was at Baltimore, so we ran a lot of similar stuff.”

Hinton arrived at rookie minicamp this week armed with a lifetime of advice from a former All-Pro, one who became far more than a footnote to a trade.

“I’d say more than football tips, he taught me a lot of life tips through football — just working hard, consistency, if you want something, go get it,” Hinton said.

Jabari Ellis, DL, South Carolina

Jabari Ellis had no interest in joining the military, but he found himself at Georgia Military College out of high school because he didn’t have the grades to qualify academically to play Division I football. It was not the typical junior college experience.

Ellis had to be in the chow hall for breakfast every morning at 6 a.m. He needed to be dressed in his Class A uniform, with shoes shined, by 7 a.m. for the first PT formation of the day. Dinner was at 5 p.m. and there were no late-night snacks, even for a 6-foot-2, 278-pound defensive tackle.

“By 9, you’re starving again and you can’t leave your room after a certain time,” Ellis said. “If you want a sip of water, you can’t leave your room to get a sip of water. It was very strict. By 9:30, you were in the room, lights out at 9:45. It was hard. They target you mentally.”

Ellis didn’t see an NFL future in those days.

“It was more just taking control of what you can at that moment and just putting in your mind, ‘Let me handle my business here to get where I want to be in the future,’” Ellis said. “There was so much turmoil in that moment that you just try to perfect what you’re doing at that moment day by day. I like to say I went there a young boy and left a man. That was the transition period in my life.”

Ellis landed a scholarship to South Carolina after two years at Georgia Military College. Ellis thought it would be smooth sailing after he arrived at the SEC school in his home state.

“I had this image of what it’s supposed to be like and what it’s going to be like, and I got slapped with reality,” Ellis said. “I was expecting to go ahead and play. But then I ended up having a knee scope done — small procedure, I was only out for three weeks. But the technique was hard. Of course, this was something I was never aware of — different techniques and all of that. So I ended up finding myself redshirting the first year.”

It was yet another obstacle to overcome in Ellis’ path.

“Anytime you face adversity, I feel like you’ve always got a decision. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. You’ve got a decision, like, is it going to work out?” Ellis said. “Are you going to keep pressing forward? That’s really in anything. I had many of those thoughts.”

Ellis got onto the field in 2019 and then became a starter in his final two seasons at South Carolina, taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19. He recorded 1.5 sacks, four tackles for a loss and two fumble recoveries last season. More important to Ellis, he was voted a team captain and became a leader in the community.

“I would never imagine I would grow into that and do what I became on and off the field,” Ellis said. “I’m big in the community because I grew up as a kid being hopeless. Many people don’t make it from that environment in South Carolina to the NFL or even make it to college football. I understand how that feels to be hopeless, so I want to always reach back and let the youth know that whatever you want to do is possible.”

Antonio Valentino, DT, Florida

For four years, Antonio Shelton played at Penn State, where the uniforms don’t feature players’ last names on the back of the jerseys. But after transferring to Florida last year, he decided a change was necessary.

“I wore Valentino on my jersey last year just because I never had my name on my jersey before when I was in college, so I wanted to put the name I thought best represented me on there,” he said. “I’m named after my dad, but me and my biological dad don’t have a very good relationship. We really don’t have a relationship at all.”

So Valentino, which was Antonio’s middle name, became his last name. He legally made the change in March.

“Part of me going to Florida was kind of taking a step out on faith and betting on myself a little bit and trying to come into my own as a man,” Valentino said. “So I felt that it was only appropriate to have the name that I think best suits me as a man, as well.”

Although Valentino doesn’t have a relationship with his biological father, there is a father figure in his life. When he was 17, Valentino went with friends to a training facility in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. There, he met head trainer Chuck Gresham, a former Youngstown State fullback.

Gresham prepared Valentino for college recruiting camps and served as a sounding board.

“I wouldn’t have made it to Penn State without him,” Valentino said. “I wouldn’t have had the vital conversations that I needed to have while I was in school or even when it came to transferring.”

The bond became stronger when Valentino’s mother, Kat, and Gresham began dating. They’ve been married since 2016.

“I really refer to Chuck as my dad. When I meet people and I introduce him, I introduce him as my dad,” Valentino said. “He’s made a total difference in everything. He’s really showed me how to be a man and why being a dad is so important. Chuck changed my life. Anything Chuck asks me to do, I’ll do it.”

Valentino credits former Giants defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who was his position coach at Penn State for four years, as another important influence.

“Coach Spence is the best coach that I’ve ever had,” Valentino said. “He taught me to play football and how to understand things and how to do my job in a defense, just to see how all the pieces move. But off the field, me and him had multiple real-deal heavy conversations that really changed my outlook on life and changed my habits and changed how I work and how I approach coming into the building.”

The guidance from Gresham and Spencer has helped Valentino reach the NFL. And with a name like Antonio Valentino, it’s fitting that the big “Sopranos” fan landed in New Jersey.

“When (the draft) wrapped up, my agent was just telling me that New York was most interested in me,” Valentino said. “It’s definitely a blessing. I’m extremely happy to have this opportunity in the first place.”

Tomon Fox, Edge, North Carolina

Tomon Fox already passed Lawrence Taylor on one team’s career sacks leaderboard. If Fox does it again, the Giants will have signed the greatest undrafted free agent in NFL history.

Fox returned to North Carolina last fall tied for fifth with Taylor on the school’s all-time sacks list. It didn’t take long for Fox to pass Taylor, as he recorded a half-sack in the season opener and then another sack in a home game two weeks later with Taylor in attendance.

“I saw him before the game,” Fox said. “I was getting ready and I saw him in the weight room. I just walked in there and the coaches introduced us. And I spoke with him a little bit afterward. He was just letting me know he sees me doing my thing out there, let’s stay in touch — those kinds of things. Then, of course, he had to let me know he was still the better athlete.”

Fox, who spent six years at UNC, said Taylor was quick to point out he played fewer games during his college career. Matching Taylor’s post-college exploits will be a challenge. The No. 2 pick in the 1981 draft, Taylor had 142 career sacks for the Giants while establishing himself as the greatest defensive player in NFL history.

“I’ve definitely seen his highlights,” Fox said. “Those are crazy.”

Fox will have his sights set on a college rival when the rookies join the Giants veterans for practices next week. Fox recorded 1.5 sacks in two career matchups against then-Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, but the Blue Devils won both games.

“Obviously, that competitive nature is going to be out there when we’re practicing even though you can’t touch him or you’re going to get fined,” Fox said. “Still, having that college rivalry, you can bring that up there to the Giants and just compete with each other.”

Fox will also be competing with some friendly faces. The Giants drafted North Carolina guards Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan this year. Even though Fox played on the edge and Ezeudu mostly played inside, they would match up in one-on-one drills during practice.

“We knew we were probably one of the better guys on the team, so we might as well compete with each other and get ourselves better,” Fox said. “I think it helped me a lot.”

Fox’s indoctrination to the Giants started immediately after the draft with daily hour-long zoom meetings led by outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins. Fox was joined by first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux in the introductory meetings to help the newcomers prepare for rookie minicamp.

“He’s a high-energy guy,” Fox said. “He’s a great athlete. I’ve seen some of his film when he first got to Oregon. He’s definitely a cool, genuine guy.”

Trenton Thompson, S, San Diego State

Read any scouting report on San Diego State safety Trenton Thompson and you’re sure to see the words “hard hitter.”

“It comes up because I’ve had some targeting calls,” Thompson said. “I knocked someone out of a game one time. I’m a hard hitter, but there’s a lot of hard hitters in college and especially the NFL. It’s part of my game. I was always trying to hit somebody hard, but overall, just wanted to make a play.”

The 6-foot-2, 196-pound Thompson makes no apologies for his physical style of play.

“The coaches were never upset when I got a targeting call,” Thompson said. “They’d rather have us play full speed than go in a little scared and making little bull#### tackles. I never got chewed out for a targeting call because it was just me playing full speed.”

One of the best plays of Thompson’s college career resulted in a targeting penalty, which triggered an ejection and a suspension for the first half of San Diego State’s next game. The Aztecs were leading No. 23 Arizona State 28-21 with 14 seconds remaining when the Sun Devils threw a bomb on fourth-and-10 from midfield.

Arizona State wide receiver Frank Darby somehow got open between two San Diego State defensive backs and was set to make a catch at the goal line. But Thompson bolted from the other side of the field and delivered a blow to Darby’s head that caused the pass to fall incomplete. Thompson was penalized, but Arizona State was unable to complete a second desperation pass into the end zone from the San Diego State 35-yard line on the final play of the game.

“I just saw the ball was chucked and I just turned that way and started running. I was like, ‘Oh, it looks like he’s going to catch it.’ I just hit him,” Thompson said. “There was really nothing else I could do about it, but just lunge into the guy. It was a game-saving play, for sure.”

Thompson’s physical traits and mindset naturally translate to special teams. He blocked two punts and returned two other blocked punts for touchdowns in college.

“Special teams is fun to me,” Thompson said. “I don’t see why a lot of guys don’t take it that serious in college. It’s a way to get on the field, it’s a way to just make plays. I take serious pride in it.”

That mentality will be music to the ears of Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. The Giants’ lack of depth at safety made them an appealing destination for an undrafted free agent, but Thompson knows special teams will be his path to a roster spot.

“I’ve always had that planted in my head,” Thompson said. “I just always knew if you make it to the NFL, the first thing I would go for is special teams, just watching a lot of “Hard Knocks” and talking to other guys that got the experience. I always knew that would be my go-to route if I was to make it this far.”

Zyon Gilbert, CB, Florida Atlantic

Zyon Gilbert knew he would turn heads with his athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine. There was only one catch: Gilbert didn’t receive an invite to the biggest pre-draft showcase.

“I would say it kind of hurt me, just a little bit,” Gilbert said. “I could have gone to the combine and put up the same numbers I did at (my) pro day. If I would have gone to the combine, I would have been on top of the charts of everything.”

Instead of running the 40-yard dash and conducting other agility drills in front of the entire NFL world in Indianapolis, Gilbert had to wait a month for his opportunity to shine at Florida Atlantic’s pro day. Only 20 NFL teams were represented when Gilbert ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash with a 40-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot-6 broad jump.

The 6-foot, 193-pound Gilbert would have tied for the 13th-fastest 40 time among corners at the combine, while ranking second in the vertical jump and first in the broad jump. The results weren’t a surprise for a player who ranked 35th on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list last summer.

“I was just thinking all the scouts saw all those guys at the combine,” Gilbert said. “So when I come around and do my pro day, it will look better because they already got the looks on those guys. When they see me, it was like, ‘Oh, wow.’ The pro day was definitely the most important part of the process for me, especially when the coaches and scouts came out there and saw me. I most definitely left there with people saying, ‘He could have been at the combine.’”

NFL evaluators often say that a standout performance in pre-draft testing will cause them to revisit a player’s tape. Interest increased in Gilbert, who took pre-draft visits to the Chiefs and Bengals.

“A lot of teams had me (graded as) undrafted,” Gilbert said. “But after (my) pro day, a lot of those guys had started giving me draftable grades.”

Gilbert was a cornerback coming out of Jefferson Davis High in Montgomery, Ala., but he was moved to safety for his first three years at FAU. But a coaching change in 2020 brought a defense that leaned heavily on cornerbacks, so Gilbert shifted back to his natural position.

“With the situation we had and with the players we had on our team, Coach came to me and was like, ‘Do you want to move back to corner?’ because he knew I played corner in high school,” Gilbert said. “It went real well. Anything to help the team. I was very confident in making the move, so I was pretty hyped about everything.”

Gilbert played in 60 games over five seasons at FAU, which is over a quarter of the games in the young program’s history. That experience has him ready to try to earn a spot at one of the thinnest positions on the Giants roster.

“I feel like it will help me tremendously,” Gilbert said. “Getting all those games, it’s a lot of snaps, a lot of plays and experience. There’s a lot of things I’ve seen on the field. So once I see it again, it won’t be my first time seeing it.”

Darren Evans, CB, LSU

Growing up in Baton Rouge, Darren Evans used to drive by LSU’s Tiger Stadium regularly.

“I always knew I could play there,” Evans said.

Others weren’t as convinced. Evans believes his recruitment was hindered because his high school team went 1-19 combined in his junior and senior seasons. Also, he shifted to safety as a senior, which limited the film of him at his natural cornerback position.

“I didn’t really have that many offers,” Evans said. “My biggest offer was maybe ULL (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and Nicholls (State). ULL took their scholarship away due to something that happened. So my only option was Nicholls or ULM (University of Louisiana Monroe). Those were the two biggest schools. I had already taken a visit with Nicholls. I never went to visit ULM. The coaches and everything were great and we just connected, so I decided to go to Nicholls.”

Playing for Nicholls in the FCS was a far cry from LSU in the SEC, but Evans remained positive.

“I didn’t let it get me down because I was blessed to have a scholarship to play football,” Evans said. “I still had another chance to get an education for free. My mindset going into Nicholls was just go out and play and take over, which I did.”

Evans excelled for three seasons at Nicholls before the COVID-19 pandemic altered his course. Nicholls’ conference postponed its fall 2020 season, which caused Evans to consider other options.

“They were saying they were going to play in the spring, but they weren’t sure,” Evans said. “I love football and I hate sitting out from football. The talk around everywhere was that the SEC was still playing, so I was trying to make a move. One of my trainers told me that LSU was interested in me, so I was talking with him a lot.”

Evans entered the transfer portal in August of 2020 and LSU followed through with a scholarship offer. He enrolled at his dream school three weeks before the start of the season.

“It was definitely tough, especially leaving somewhere I had been all my years,” Evans said. “But it was me just loving football and not knowing if we were going to have a season or not. And LSU, it’s hard to pass up.”

Evans immediately carved out a role on defense and special teams in his first season at LSU. He had a bigger role last season, stepping in as a starting outside corner when No. 3 pick Derek Stingley was sidelined with a foot injury.

“It gave me more of an opportunity,” Evans said. “I think it went well for me. I always have confidence in myself.”

The 6-foot-2, 179-pound Evans teamed up with Giants third-round pick Cor’Dale Flott in LSU’s secondary for the past two seasons.

“It’s going to be crazy because me and him and our work ethic, especially being back together, we know what we can do,” Evans said. “It’s going to be a boost and it’s going to propel us through the season and help us get better.”

The Giants also signed Kentucky safety Yusuf Corker as an undrafted free agent, but he wasn’t available for an interview. Also, the Giants had agreed to sign Florida defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell, but he didn’t sign after failing his physical, according to a source.


Scouting/Highlight Vids:

Christopher Hinton, DT, Michigan

Jabari Ellis, DL, South Carolina

Antonio Valentino, DT, Florida

Tomon Fox, Edge, North Carolina

Trenton Thompson, S, San Diego State

Zyon Gilbert, CB, Florida Atlantic

Darren Evans, CB, LSU

 
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OH Crap!

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Bradberry to a one-year, $10 million contract on Wednesday, multiple sources reported. $7.5 million of that is guaranteed.

 
(The Athletic) Giants’ undrafted free agents: Meet RB Jashaun Corbin and the offensive players
 

Scouting/Highlight Vids:

Jashaun Corbin, RB, Florida State

Jeremiah Hall, TE, Oklahoma

Andre Miller, TE, Maine

Austin Allen, TE, Nebraska

Josh Rivas, OG, Kansas State

If a thread ever gets started on one of these guys, I feel happy I can steal Duggan's stuff to put in there. 😁
Corbin and Austin Allen have impressive highlights ... Allen moves great for a guy that size and was a former basketball player ... really hope he sticks  

 
Per Rotoworld/ NBC Edge

 

The Athletic's Dan Duggan expects Saquon Barkley to catch "a ton" of passes in new coach Brian Daboll's offense. 

There are a host of caveats — it is May, these are pad-less practices, this is one man's opinion, etc. etc. — but it is an easy dot to connect. When healthy, Barkley is one of the league's most gifted backfield pass catchers, while Daniel Jones is a quarterback who has never loved to go down the field. Daboll never hesitated to abandon the run in Buffalo, but he can have the best of both worlds in New York, staying pass happy but keeping his running back involved as a viable receiving outlet. Per Duggan, Daboll's offense has featured a "ton of empty sets and pre-snap motion" so far this spring. We can understand why fantasy managers would be out on Barkley after years of injury frustration, but his upside is undeniable in this new system. 

At what round does Barkley become worth a gamble?  Round 4 a worthy gamble for Barkley?  Will he even last that long?  NY didn't add competition there in that backfield for him.  I know tis the season for puff pieces and coach speak but If Daboll is as smart as advertised and keeps up his pass happy ways then it would seem running Barkley as an extra pass catching option most of the time would be the move. 

 
Per Rotoworld/ NBC Edge

 

The Athletic's Dan Duggan expects Saquon Barkley to catch "a ton" of passes in new coach Brian Daboll's offense. 

There are a host of caveats — it is May, these are pad-less practices, this is one man's opinion, etc. etc. — but it is an easy dot to connect. When healthy, Barkley is one of the league's most gifted backfield pass catchers, while Daniel Jones is a quarterback who has never loved to go down the field. Daboll never hesitated to abandon the run in Buffalo, but he can have the best of both worlds in New York, staying pass happy but keeping his running back involved as a viable receiving outlet. Per Duggan, Daboll's offense has featured a "ton of empty sets and pre-snap motion" so far this spring. We can understand why fantasy managers would be out on Barkley after years of injury frustration, but his upside is undeniable in this new system. 

At what round does Barkley become worth a gamble?  Round 4 a worthy gamble for Barkley?  Will he even last that long?  NY didn't add competition there in that backfield for him.  I know tis the season for puff pieces and coach speak but If Daboll is as smart as advertised and keeps up his pass happy ways then it would seem running Barkley as an extra pass catching option most of the time would be the move. 
They also have Toney (1st Rd), Wandale Robinson (2nd Rd) and Shephard (If Healthy) catching short passes. Barkley will catch some but I wouldnt expect anything like his rookie season when he caught 90 passes fro 700 yds. I would guess something  like Saquan 45 - 350 yds , Toney 60 - 550yds, Robinson 35 - 400 , Shep 40 - 450, Galladay 60 - 900 

 
I would like to see the short passing/screen game take off + more PA. If the line is as advertised Giants should make strides in that department.

 
I would like to see the short passing/screen game take off + more PA. If the line is as advertised Giants should make strides in that department.
They have the WRs for the short passing and screens and I agree they need to lean on that more.  I'm not sure PA will be that effective if Barkley gets injured again.  I also agree about the line - it should be significantly improved and it should help the offense a lot in general.

With Jones, however, I feel like it's a catch 22 - turn him loose and let him make plays and he will turn the ball over a lot.  Too much.  Plus, he hasn't played more than 14 games in a season so if they do turn him loose, he also needs to learn how to better protect himself.  The improved o-line should help a lot in that area, but it's also on Jones to have better awareness and to protect himself better while running.  Try to reduce the turnovers and he doesn't make any plays at all.  Either way, the offense has been one of the worst in the league the last 2 years.  I have pretty much zero confidence that he can make plays while also not turning the ball over and stay healthy for a full season.

 
He's young so it's conceivable that he can improve, but he has a long, long way to go until he's a legit starter, or even a primary backup.  IIRC someone posted the o-linemen grades and he was the worst out of something like 80 eligible guards.
Allegedly he was decent as run blocker but terrible in pass blocking. I hope he works out, but I don’t understand fans who are excited about him being in the starting lineup.

 
The 33rd team puts Daniel Jones in the bottom tier of their QB rankings prior to 2022 season

https://www.the33rdteam.com/tiering-the-starting-qbs-in-the-nfl-2022/

Tier 7 is what we would categorize as “waiting to see it” or low-level starters. These players are at a time in their career where they must show the talent that caused them to be drafted in the first or second round. In 2022, it could be a make-or-break year for them. 3 out of the 5 are in new places as of this offseason, while Wilson/Jones are in the “waiting to see it” timeframe. It is reasonable to see the majority of these players not as the starting QB at some point within the season, or next season.

Zach Wilson, New York Jets

Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons

Mitch Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers

 
OTA #7 https://www.giants.com/news/ota-highlights-wandale-robinson-daniel-jones-tyrod-taylor-julian-love

*Quarterback Daniel Jones and rookie wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson hooked up for a touchdown from the red zone. The second-round draft choice wasn't done there. Robinson hauled in another short touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor later in practice in a fourth-down situation.

"We have a very clear vision for the player and look forward to utilizing him," coach Brian Daboll said after the draft.

 
Wow ... Not Good ! Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson are behind these guys???   

The first-team wide receivers: David Sills, Richie James and C.J. Board.

If your 2nd round pick is behind these 3 guys ... I think it's safe to say you ####ed up that pick 

 
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NJ.com - Final Giants takeaways after minicamp: Brian Daboll’s laid-back culture, Saquon Barkley’s role, standouts, possible surprise cuts, more
 

Saquon Barkley intrigue

Barkley looked like the Giants’ best and most important non-quarterback for much of OTAs, though take that with a grain of salt considering it’s been non-contact. But he remains probably the most fascinating figure on the team heading into the season.

In terms of the on-field aspect, the biggest takeaway of the spring is how Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka plan to use Barkley on offense. We’ve already written about it extensively, but he was lining up as a receiver — both in the slot and outside — frequently throughout drills, and moved around a lot in pre-snap motion too. He was heavily targeted, though that doesn’t necessarily matter in this setting.

But there were numerous occasions where Barkley would be lined up as a receiver and someone else — like backup running back Matt Breida or a receiver — would take his place in the backfield. He has never been used like this in the NFL before.

Off the field, Barkley said something interesting on Wednesday that he hadn’t previously: He admitted that he lost some confidence the last couple of years as he tried to work his way back from various injuries. Barkley missed all but two games in 2020 with a torn ACL, and had an ankle injury that bothered him most of the 2021 season. He only finished last season with 593 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 13 games.

“I was a way more confident player in college and early in my career than I was prior to the last year and then last year,” Barkley said. “Now I’m starting to get that back, starting to get that swagger back. You can’t get too high on it because it’s just minicamp right now, but all the little stuff in gaining confidence here, in this break that we have, hopefully catapults and pushes me through camp and to the regular season and beyond hopefully.”

This might be his last season in a Giants uniform — it’s difficult to envision Joe Schoen paying him big money on a second contract, even if he has a great year — so Barkley returning to his rookie form would be a major boon for a rebuilding offense.

 
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Giants biggest issues entering training camp next month

The article goes has a paragraph about each of the following issues 

  • Daniel Jones mastering the offense with his actual targets
  • Getting injured players back on the practice field
  • Left guard competition
  • Slot cornerback competition
  • Get important rookies up to speed
  • Sorting out WR roles
  • What to do with Darius Slayton
  • Overhauled secondary must gel
 
I'm a little concerned about Thomas ... I heard was walking with a heavy limp during OTAs and following his 2nd ankle surgery.

Also real concerned about the WRs ...

  • Tony Appears to be a bust, Constantly injured,  hasnt practiced at all as usuall but had time to record a terrible rap album. in 2 seasons hasnt had a chance to develop chemistry with Jones 
  • Golloday is also constantly injured, coming off the worst season of his career and also hasnt had time to build chemistry with Jones
  • Shepard may start the season on the IL
  • Slayton - Started out with a buzz and faded fast ... more and more likely that he will be cut or traded
  • Robinson - Also started out with a buzz and has received a ton of reps ...but the buzz seams to be fading fast as he was relagated to a backup during the minicamp despite all of the expected 1st team WRs being unavailable 
It also sucks that Ezeudu hasnt had a chance to compete for the LG spot since he has been playing LT in Thomas absence 

The positives have been Bellinger and the use of Saquan all over the place 

 
Dan Duggan of the Athletic doing a Giants Mailbag Q & A tomorrow at 12pm

I also wanted to post this question/reply as foreshadowing:
 

What would be enough improvement for the Giants to consider bringing back Daniel Jones in 2023? — @POOPYDOODIE11

I opened the last mailbag with the same question, but it’s hanging over everything this season, so it’s worth continuing to explore this topic. As I said a month ago, I plan to ask general manager Joe Schoen this exact question at his next news conference. But in the interim, I’ll dive into this scenario.

Let’s say Daniel Jones completes 67 percent of his passes for 3,800 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 94.0 passer rating this season. Those stats would represent an unquestioned improvement from Jones (except for the interceptions). Would that be enough to warrant the franchise tag for 2023 at $31.5 million or an extension with an average salary in that neighborhood?

I used those stats because they’re a rough average of the numbers produced by Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill and San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo last season. Tannehill ($29.5 million) and Garoppolo ($27.5 million) have the 13th- and 14th-highest annual salaries among quarterbacks, respectively. Then there’s a major drop-off to Jameis Winston’s $14 million per year deal with the Saints (I excluded Tom Brady’s $25 million deal with the Bucs because nothing about his situation is applicable to Jones).

So if Jones gets to the Tannehill/Garoppolo level, would it be worth keeping him? My answer is no. Those teams have won with those quarterbacks, but it seems like both have maxed out. The 49ers traded up to take quarterback Trey Lance with the third pick in last year’s draft despite Garoppolo serving as their starter during a Super Bowl appearance in the 2019 season.

That aggressive move by the 49ers is evidence that teams don’t believe they can win Super Bowls with merely solid quarterback play. The goal is to get a game-changer. If you find one of those guys, it’s worth paying them $40 million-plus per year. But if you don’t have one of those guys, it’s better to take a swing at finding one in the draft and building around an inexpensive quarterback for four to five years.

Maybe Jones will blow everyone away and morph into Josh Allen 2.0. But if he only gets to the Tannehill/Garoppolo level — which seems like a realistic outcome if things break right — it’s not worth making a huge commitment to that type of quarterback.

 
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Dan Duggan of the Athletic doing a Giants Mailbag Q & A tomorrow at 12pm

I also wanted to post this question/reply as foreshadowing:
 
So if Jones gets to the Tannehill/Garoppolo level, would it be worth keeping him? My answer is no. This is just Stupid 

I dont like Garopollo much ... but he took his team to the SB and lost to a better team and better QB

Tannehill - is 30-13 and has a 102 QB Rating over the last 3 seasons. In 2019 he beat Brady in NE (WC) he beat MVP Lamar Jackson in BAL (Div) and lost to OPoY Mahomes in KC  who went on to beat, guess who in the SB ? ... Garoppolo 

So take away Mahomes and both Tannehill and Garoppolo would likely be Super Bowl 2019 QBs and one of the 2 a Superbowl Winning QB 

There are only 7 active SuperBowl winning QBS (Brady, Rogers, Mahomes, Wilson, Stafford, Foles and Flacco)  

I am not sure what People expect ... Jones is not going to be Brady, Rogers, Mahomes or Wilson. But no reason to think  that he cant be better than Foles or Flacco and no reason to think that he couldnt win a Superbowl on a team as loaded as the Rams were last season 

 
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