Giants general manager Joe Schoen is committed to Daniel Jones for the 2022 season. He passed on Jones’ fifth-year option, making the upcoming campaign a make-or-break year for the young quarterback. He also improved his offensive line (on paper) and brought in multiple skill players via the draft, such as wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and tight end Daniel Bellinger.
Schoen even signed veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor to a two-year deal. This should give Jones a little extra push and provide the Giants a potential 2023 bridge plan should Jones not pan out.
So why in the world would the Giants make a move for Jimmy Garoppolo? Big Blue has suddenly been portrayed as a trendy favorite to land the veteran quarterback, who is all but on his way out of San Francisco. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan recently stated Trey Lance would be their starter moving forward.
The 49ers will look to get something in return for Garoppolo, so why would the Giants even consider an acquisition with the regular season just six weeks away? It would be an outrageous move in all facets.
The offensive system. Head coach Brian Daboll ran an offense in Buffalo that was rightly suited for the Bills’ Josh Allen, a big-armed, athletic quarterback. Jones, while not an All-Pro like Allen, could put those exact traits on display after he was mostly prevented from doing so under Jason Garrett’s watch the last two years.
Garoppolo cannot. He’s a pocket passer who is more of a check-down artist. It’s why he was able to stack up victories as more of a game manager in Shanahan’s run-centric offense. Bringing in Garoppolo to essentially replace Jones would require Daboll to alter various aspects of his playbook — not an ideal situation with training camp having just begun this week.
The roster. The 2022 season isn’t the year for the Giants to contend anyway. If you want to be optimistic about this team because it’s moving in a different direction after years of losing, that’s fine. But don’t expect everything to come to fruition in year one of the Schoen-Daboll era.
It’s not like the Giants are fielding a playoff roster and the only piece they’re missing is Garoppolo under center. There are still issues with various skill players, the offensive line hasn’t proven itself on the game field, and the defense will likely experience growing pains with a young secondary.
Trading for Garoppolo would do what? Give the Giants maybe one or two more wins than the four or five they’ll probably record with Jones and/or Taylor? Which would keep them out of playoff contention but put them in a worse draft spot to continue the rebuild next year?
The salary cap. There are always ways to free up cap space; many believe the salary cap is a “myth.” But even with that said, it’s tough to overlook the Giants’ current financial situation and how expensive Garoppolo’s contract is.
The Giants have a little over $6.8 million in available cap space, per Spotrac. Meanwhile, Garoppolo’s cap hit is just under $27 million for 2022, the final year of his current deal. The Giants could always extend him upon acquisition and spread out the cap, but that would mean committing multiple seasons to a limited quarterback who hasn’t been overly durable (Garoppolo missed two games last year and 10 the year prior, and just underwent offseason shoulder surgery).
A possible deal. The Giants might be required to give up multiple future draft picks for Garoppolo, who would certainly be the team’s starter (Schoen wouldn’t trade for a backup when Taylor is already on the roster). Putting a significant dent into a much-needed rebuild for a quick fix would be Dave Gettleman territory. And Schoen surely doesn’t want to be compared to his predecessor, arguably the worst general manager in franchise history.
And what would you do with Jones? Find a trade partner and recoup some of the draft capital you gave up to get Garoppolo? Keep him and have him be a backup despite the fact his 2022 cap hit is over $8.3 million?
None of this would make sense — don’t put your money down on the Giants trading for Garoppolo.
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