The New York Giants must know it but won't fully admit that the Eli Manning era is over. What's weird is that former head coach Ben McAdoo saw the writing on the wall last season. McAdoo made a gutsy call to bench Manning and fans of the Giants went bonkers. However, as the Giants have struggled this season, those same fans are calling for action.
What's hurting the future of the team is that if you sit Manning, who do you put in his place? This leaves Pat Shurmur in a tough situation. Does he continue to ride it out with the two-time Super Bowl-winning QB next season or look for a replacement?
In all honesty, it's time to move on and there are not many great options available.
Teddy Bridgewater and Tyrod Taylor will be free agents. How can we forget what's going on down in Tampa Bay? Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jameis Winston could be out of a job and there is always the possibility of going after Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, New York's best action may be making a move for Stafford.
Regardless of his cap hit ($60 million) for the next two seasons, what other options do they have? With the offense set with Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley, the Giants just require a QB willing to be the glue. Why not Matthew Stafford?
With Eli Manning set to hit free agency in 2020, the Giants will need a successor. I know, this has been a hot topic for the past two years but now, the clock is really ticking. This season, Manning has passed for 3,093 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a completion percentage of 69.1 percent. His numbers rank him in the top half of QBs but it's his age the Giants must be worried about.
Manning is 38 and while he has not shown any signs of slowing down, no one can outrun Father Time. On the flip side of the coin is Stafford. Throughout his career, he's put up good numbers (37,590 yards, 233 TDs, 128 INTs), but his teams have never lived up to its potential. Imagine pairing Stafford with Barkey and Beckham.
Now, the case can be made that the Giants will not be willing to part with first rounders for Stafford but what other option do they have? Can Pat Shurmur really rely on a rookie coming in and taking this team to the next level? Despite their setbacks this year, the Giants have played inspired ball. Does the blame fall solely on Manning? No, but his age does play a major part why the New York Giants need to go after another signal caller.
With Stafford, the Giants will get a veteran who has the arm to make defenses respect the passing game.
On the Lions side of the coin is a reset. The team has continued to tread water in the shallow end and it may be time for a change. Matthew Stafford is 30 years old and has managed to stay healthy during the course of his NFL career. Looking over the cast of characters that will be available to the Giants, and it's easy to see why they will need to go the trade route.
Is Teddy Bridgewater the answer? What about Tyrod Taylor? Nick Foles is an option as well. Of those players, only Stafford has the proper experience to be what the New York Giants need. Yes, Bridgewater has played in some big games for the Minnesota Vikings and Taylor has led the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs but neither is really the “it” guy the Giants need. Foles has won a Super Bowl and may the next best thing but can he be trusted on a full 16-game schedule?
The future is now for the Giants. They have tried other backups and none have stuck. Now they must look for a player who can come in and take the mantle from Eli Manning. The big question moving forward is what to do with Manning? Do you cut him and take the Dead Cap hit? Try to trade him with his No Trade Clause or hope he retires after this year?
If the Giants can somehow rid themselves of Manning, there is only one choice to replace him. Matthew Stafford.
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