Getty The New York Giants could be headed for a fire sale after a 1-6 start.
In the wake of the Eli Apple trade, NFL teams feel the New York Giants are “open for business” as the October 30 trade deadline approaches, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
“Hearing the Eli Apple trade may just be tip of the iceberg,” La Canfora tweeted soon after the deal. “Strong perception among other teams [that] the Giants are ‘open for business’ ahead of next week’s trade deadline.”
Early on Tuesday, the team agreed to trade Apple to the New Orleans Saints for a fourth-round pick in 2019 and a seventh-round pick in 2020, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Giants Fall to 1-6
The trade came hours after New York came up short against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, 23-20.
For the first time all season, rookie running back Saquon Barkley failed to gain 100 yards from scrimmage, managing just 43 on the ground on 14 carries and another 51 through the air, with a team-high nine catches.
The team scored two touchdowns and had a two-point conversion in the last three minutes to cut Atlanta’s lead to three, but that second score came with five seconds remaining. Falcons wideout Julio Jones recovered the onside kick.
“We were in it. That’s all we can do as a defense,” Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins said, according to the New York Daily News. “Play defense. Get three and outs. And just continue to play football.”
Matt Ryan gashed New York for 379 passing yards, converting on 31 of 39 passing attempts.
“All we have to do is keep playing football, and we’ll be OK,” Jenkins added. “The team that we have, everybody likes to fight and work hard in practice. We have to understand that it’s tough to win in this league. And once we get over that hump, I think we’ll get rolling.”
The team features talented but expensive skill position players in Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley, but the offensive line has been miserable for years, and Eli Manning hasn’t looked like the player that led the team to two Super Bowl victories for a while now. They’ve also got significant money wrapped up on defense, in Jenkins and defensive end Olivier Vernon.
“I don’t feel like we’re a 1-6 team,” Beckham Jr. said after the defeat, per the Daily News. “That’s what our record is, but that’s not the feeling in the locker room. That’s not the feeling when you go out on the field.
“It’s reality, but it’s just not the feeling.”
Eli Manning Trade Coming?
Matt Hasselbeck of “Sunday NFL Countdown” recently suggested that the struggling team trade their quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars, giving him another chance at the playoffs and helping the Giants rebuild.
“I would do Eli Manning a solid. I would trade him to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville has a team and they’re making a run,” Hasselbeck said on the show Sunday.
“It ends eventually for everyone. Eli Manning will always be a Giant. There will be a statue outside the stadium for him. I think it has to end sometime, so why not go out now a high note?”
Tom Coughlin, who coached Manning’s Giants to both Super Bowl wins, now serves as the Jaguars’ executive vice president of football operations.
“Giants have all sorts of problems. I am just saying Tom Coughlin loves Eli Manning,” Hasselbeck added.
On Monday, Chris Mortensen reported that Jacksonville wasn’t interested in trading for Manning.
Jaguars not trading for QB, which includes Eli, as much love as EVP Tom Coughlin has for him. Jags believe debut of Carlos Hyde, eventual return of Fournette, gives them “hammer” RBs they need for QBs, defense and injury-riddled O-line, which still needs somewhat mobile QB.
Other playoff-hopeful teams who could be looking to upgrade at quarterback include the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill is dealing with an injured shoulder, and Marcus Mariota of Tennessee has struggled so far, a year removed from his throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in 2017.