Giants Mailbag: How likely is Shedeur Sanders to Big Blue?

Editor's note: This mailbag was published before the signing of Russell Wilson

No, the Giants aren’t losing anything waiting for Aaron Rodgers. That’s exactly what they’re doing right now, too: waiting. Yes, they signed Jameis Winston. No, they didn’t yank their outstanding offer to Rodgers after Winston accepted his. The same goes for Russell Wilson.

There is a world where general manager Joe Schoen completely reinvents his quarterback room, entering 2025 with Rodgers or Wilson, Winston, and a quarterback-to-be-drafted later. Probable? No. But possible.

Would that elevate the Giants' roster to the point John Mara keeps Schoen and Brian Daboll for another year? Only time will tell.

There’s so much going on in Giants land roughly a month before the NFL Draft, so we figured we’d open the mailbag and address your questions on the state of New York.

Do you think Jameis Winston will start for the Giants in Week 1? - @neverEnough32

It wouldn’t be the direction I’d go, and looking at Winston’s contract (two years, $8 million), it wouldn’t appear the Giants think much of that option, either. A quarterback can usually milk a pretty decent contract out of a team when he has an inclination he’s going to be the starter. Look at Justin Fields with the Jets (two years, $40 million). Look at Daniel Jones with the Colts (one year, $14 million). It seems far more likely Winston is the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.

Which is fine. He’ll provide entertainment and forms of excitement if he has to start three-to-five games. The problem is if you need to turn to Winston for anything longer than that. There’s a reason the Browns, in such dire need of a quarterback, turned away from him so often last season. They knew what he was.

Assuming Rodgers (Steelers) and Wilson (Browns) ultimately sign elsewhere, Winston would only start Week 1 if the rookie the Giants end up drafting is not ready. You won’t know that until you see the guy in training camp.

How sure are the Giants they can land Shedeur Sanders? - @TheRealBNYCE

Hindsight is hindsight, but it just blows my mind that the Giants were willing to throw the finale against the Eagles… but not the week before against the Colts? No one is having this discussion right now about who the Giants might have a chance to get if John Mara had simply told Daboll and Schoen they’re good in Week 16. They lose Week 17. They lose Week 18. They’re picking first overall.

And I don’t want to hear the “we don’t tank.” The Giants, knowing they could have dropped out of the top five, rotated players in and out of the lineup in the finale against Philly. Players talked in the locker room, per The Athletic, that they were treating it like a preseason game. If they did that literally one week before, Cam Ward is a Giant. Instead, we’re here. And here is not a great place to be.

It seems very unlikely the Titans trade the No. 1 pick (more on that below) because they want Ward. The Giants now need to hope the Browns don’t want Sanders. The whole reason Mara brought Schoen and Daboll back for another season was because they sold him on their plan at quarterback.

If they strike out on Ward and Sanders, is this team really in a better position with Winston and Jaxson Dart? The quarterback room still isn't good enough even if you add Russell Wilson to the mix. These are all problems that could have been avoided had the Giants had their Week 18 discussions seven days prior.

Have you heard any smoke about Cam Ward and the Giants? Or is the hype just because he’s the top quarterback in this draft class? - @MONTECRI5TO

Absolutely no team divulges their draft plans to anyone. They guard their evaluations and hopes as close to the vest as possible. Justifiably so. You have situations like Devonta Smith if you don’t. Then-Giants GM Dave Gettleman let everyone who had ears know he wanted Smith. So, the Eagles knew they only had to trade one spot in front of the Giants to get him. That’s exactly what they did.

You gain draft intel by talking to other teams, figuring out what they know. Everyone knows someone who knows someone. That intel is invaluable. It’s become very clear, as you said, Ward is the top quarterback in this year’s class after having those conversations at the NFL Combine and after. I talked to reps from a dozen teams (executives, coaches, scouts, etc). Not one had Sanders ahead of Ward. It also became clear in Indianapolis that the Giants wanted to trade up to No. 1 and believed they had what it took to do so.

Maybe they were trading to No. 1 for Sanders? Schoen isn’t telling me. But if they were, they’d be going against what just about every other team feels in their quarterback evaluation. More likely: It’s for Ward.

The real challenge is the development out of Tennessee that they don’t have much of a desire to trade back. They haven’t added any quarterback in free agency. They haven’t dabbled in trades. There wasn’t so much of a peep of interest from them in younger candidates like Fields and Sam Darnold. Read between the lines there. The Titans want Ward.

Now the Giants have to hope the Browns don’t have a similar affliction on Sanders…

If the Giants miss out on a quarterback at No. 3, who do you think they take? Then do you think they address a rookie later on? - @AnthonyBetss

Both Daboll and Schoen had to meet with Mara to state their case for keeping their jobs before the culmination of last year’s 3-14 abomination. Among their arguments: We have a plan at quarterback. It was enough for Mara, who brought both back.

The Giants struck out on Stafford (Plan A). It sure looks like they’re going to strike out on trading up to No. 1 (Plan B) and Rodgers (Plan C). I have absolutely no idea how the two can look Mara in the eyes if they also miss out on Plan D (Sanders at No. 3). You really think Mara was A-OK bringing the two back knowing their plan at quarterback was Wilson, Winston, and Dart? Dart, mind you, is a quarterback most teams have a second-round grade on (at best).

Let’s be honest: Another year of Daniel Jones is better than the above.

I can’t foresee any world where the Giants can afford to come out of this draft without either Ward or Sanders. This isn’t a report, but opinion. If they can’t get to No. 1, which now seems unlikely, then I believe they will make the Browns a wildly aggressive offer to get up to No. 2 to assure they do not miss on Sanders. That means, unfortunately for the Giants, an overpay.

It seems like the betting favorite for the Giants quarterback room is Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Shedeur Sanders and Tommy DeVito. What’s the wild card quarterback room you think has a nonzero chance of happening? @_JohnB21

I think there’s a chance the Browns fall in love with Sanders and refuse to trade the No. 2 pick. That’s doomsday for the Giants and so reminiscent of last year.

What will it take for this regime to keep their jobs another year? - @D_Ricker81

The young quarterback looks good and they win seven games. That’s the minimum. Anything less and they’re both likely fired. Which is wild because now you’ll have a new regime inheriting a quarterback from a weak quarterback class that they didn’t select – that seldom works.