Getty New Giants quarterback Mike Glennon.
The New York Giants have added another quarterback to the fold. The team officially announced the signing of eight-year veteran Mike Glennon on Friday.
According to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, Glennon’s contract checks in at $1.35 million over one year, with $425,000 guaranteed.
Officially official 🔏
Welcome to Big Blue: John Ross, Devontae Booker, Ifeadi Odenigbo & Mike Glennon!
Glennon spent the past season with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he eventually supplanted incumbent Gardner Minshew as the team’s starter. The former third-round pick started five games in 2020, throwing for 1,072 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. While the Jags did go winless with Glennon under center, he did complete 62% of his passes on the year and recorded two games with 235-plus passing yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a quarterback rating of 95.4 or greater.
Headed to East Rutherford, Glennon will likely slide into the No. 2 role behind starter Daniel Jones. The signing also likely spells the end to Colt McCoy’s tenure with the team. McCoy started two games for the G-Men in 2020 as an injury replacement to Jones, including a Week 13 upset of the Seattle Seahawks.
The Giants also still have 2019 fifth-round pick Clayton Thorson in the fold, who spent the majority of last season on the team’s practice squad.
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Glennon Beat Out Russell Wilson For Starting Job in College
Standing at 6-foot-7-inches with a fairly big arm, Glennon began to make waves in draft circles around the same time Joe Flacco guided his Baltimore Ravens to a victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Looking like the prototypical quarterback of the time (how times have changed), Glennon was so highly-regarded that his presence essentially forced Russell Wilson out of N.C. State and into the transfer portal.
“I wanted to go back there. And when I was told I couldn’t, it was one of those things where I had to figure out a way to move on and find a way to make something work,” said Wilson, via USA Today — who detailed an awkward conversation between Wilson and then-coach Tom O’Brien who informed the quarterback he’d no longer be the team’s starter.
Despite getting some first-round chatter, Glennon was eventually drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, where he quickly took the helm under center. The third quarterback selected in his class, Glennon started 13 games as a rookie with the Bucs, throwing for 2,608 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His efforts earned him a place on the Pro Football Writer’s Association’s All-Rookie Team.
Glennon’s NFL Journey
Despite his solid showing, the following year new head coach Lovie Smith opted to sign veteran Josh McCown. While Smith continued to laud Glennon as the team’s quarterback of the future, it was McCown who was handed the team’s starting gig. McCown lasted just one season in Tampa Bay, but Glennon’s place on the bench remained. In 2015, Glennon failed to see any playing time operating behind then-No. 1 pick Jameis Winston — a role he remained in through 2016.
In 2017, the Chicago Bears pinpointed Glennon as their guy. Despite starting a total of five games over the prior three seasons, the team inked Glennon to a three-year, $45 million contract. His stint as the team’s starter was short-lived. Glennon started four games for the Bears, going 1-3, and eventually making way for rookie Mitchell Trubisky.
Glennon would go on to serve in a reserve role with the Arizona Cardinals and the then-Oakland Raiders before making his way to Jacksonville a season ago. Over his eight-year career, Glennon has appeared in 34 games (27 starts), accounting for 6,235 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.