The 2021 season was yet another disappointing one for the New York Giants. They were uncompetitive for a majority of the season, losing the last six games of the season in a row and all of them by double-digits.
They finished the season 4-13 and ownership was so fed up with the performance of the team, they decided to clean house. General manager David Gettleman, who left the roster in worse shape than when he inherited it, was able to walk away gracefully as he retired after the season. Head coach Joe Judge didn’t receive the same decency, as he was fired after two seasons. That makes it three consecutive head coaches who failed to make it longer than two seasons with the Giants.
There is a lot of work to be done with this team as they are right up against the salary cap. It will take a few years to clean up this mess, as the roster is lacking in some areas and there isn’t any money to spend to fix them.
One area that will be closely evaluated will be the quarterback position. Daniel Jones has been dealt a tough hand during his three seasons with the Giants, but there are plenty of young quarterbacks around the league who have shown franchise quarterback qualities in bleak situations. Those kinds of flashes have been few and far between for Jones.
There is a good chance that Jones is given one more year as the starting quarterback, but that is dependent on who takes over the front office. If the new general manager and head coach want a truly clean slate, they will look to move on from Jones as well.
If that occurs, the Giants need a quarterback for the 2022 season. The other options from 2021, Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm showed they are not viable starting options either. So, the team could be on the hunt for a new quarterback.
Without money to spend in free agency, they could go the trade route. One possible option, according to CBS Sports, is San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo isn’t going to light up the scoreboard but would be an upgrade for the Giants as he is 33-14 in his career as a starter and completes 67.7 percent of his passes.
There is a good chance that Garoppolo is on the move this offseason as the 49ers have Trey Lance waiting in the wings to take over as the starter. San Francisco traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Lance with the No. 3 overall pick and it sounds like they are ready for him to take over as the starter.
For New York, there are some obstacles. Fitting Garoppolo’s cap hit into their salary could prove difficult, as New York has limited cap space available. But, if he is someone the organization identifies as a player they want, he is an intriguing option.
Garoppolo would have the 2022 season to prove he deserves to be the team’s starter beyond that year. There are some good weapons in place already in running back Saquon Barkley and wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney to work with.
If he plays well, the Giants have figured out their quarterback position for the time being. If he isn’t good, it is no harm to New York. 2022 is the final year of Garoppolo’s contract, so if he doesn’t perform well, the Giants will look for their long-term answer at the position next offseason.
