Getty The New York Giants "checked on" a 5-time Pro Bowl WR, amid rumors about the future of QB Daniel Jones.
The New York Giants may finally be getting serious about adding a marquee wide receiver and replacing quarterback Daniel Jones, based on their interest in Mike Evans. Big Blue “checked on” the five-time Pro-Bowler’s availability for 2024 NFL free agency while at the annual Scouting Combine, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
The #Giants checked on the status of Bucs WR Mike Evans and whether he would hit free agency last week in Indy. Never seemed they were going to be players at the top of that market though.
But what it does show is that they are contemplating options at WR should they go in a…
Raanan pointed out how even asking the question about Evans shows the Giants “are contemplating options at WR should they go in a different direction (cough, cough: QB!) at the top of the draft. Namely the No. 6 overall pick.”
The chances of the Giants moving on from Jones appear strong, with Raanan hearing murmurings. He explained on the “Breaking Big Blue” podcast how Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll may be reluctant to build around Jones, given the signal-caller’s recent injury history.
That history includes “two neck injuries now and a torn ACL. Does Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll want to risk their professional future building around that? The answer, I believe, is no. And when you talk to people around the league, there’s a lot of, just, crumbs out there that says the Giants are looking for a quarterback. Heck, they interviewed every top quarterback that was in the draft.”
Nuggets, nuggets and more nuggets from the combine in this week’s Breaking Big Blue.
There are four Top 10 QBs in this draft. 👀 👀👀
A must listen!!!
Jones’ struggles to protect the football and stay healthy mean the Giants would be smart to consider their options at football’s most important position. Especially when this draft class is loaded with quality passers.
If the Giants do use the sixth pick on a new QB1, it would also make sense to equip the rookie with a legitimate, go-to receiver. It won’t be Evans, who’s staying put with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Giants shouldn’t stop looking for receiver help.
Mike Evans the Template for What Giants Need at WR
Evans is the type of playmaker the Giants need among their receiver corps. Their interest was real, with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini also confirming the Giants were keen on the wideout who set an NFL record with 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Multiple teams had Mike Evans on their free agent WR board and were hoping to land him in free agency. Based on several team sources: Titans, Rams, Chiefs, Patriots, Giants, Panthers, Falcons, and Jaguars.
The volume of teams on Russini’s list shows how intense competition will be to sign quality wideouts in free agency. It’s why the Bucs acted fast to hand Evans a two-year, $52-million deal to stay in town for another two years, per Raanan’s colleague Adam Schefter.
Evans being off the market reduces options for the Giants, but team has been named a potential trade suitor for Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals. Aside from Higgins, there are other prominent names on the veteran market.
They include San Francisco 49ers’ pass-catcher Brandon Aiyuk and Gabe Davis of the Buffalo Bills. Davis would be a shrewd signing for the Giants, given his history with Daboll.
Either Davis or Aiyuk would provide Jones with the big-bodied target he needs, but the Giants might not want to risk wasting a No. 1 receiver on a struggling QB.
Daniel Jones’ Future in Jeopardy Thanks to QB-Rich Draft Class
This would be the wrong year for a QB-needy team to ignore the draft. The class contains multiple potential franchise options, led by the quartet of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy.
Even prospects like Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr., who may still be on the board after the opening round, have the potential to start as rookies. It all adds up to the Giants being spoilt for choice when choosing Jones’ successor.
He couldn’t live up to the $160 million contract signed last offseason, and Jones has now missed 22 games due to various injuries in five years. It’s little wonder the Giants are being urged to pursue “very aggressive” moves to trade up and select one of this draft’s top quarterbacks.