The Giants’ quarterback situation has become messy enough that ESPN couldn’t resist turning it into a Shedeur Sanders debate.
On Thursday morning, Stephen A. Smith brought up the idea on “First Take,” floating Sanders as a possible answer after Jaxson Dart’s regular season-ending knee injury opened the door for New York to add another quarterback behind Jameis Winston. John Harbaugh had already acknowledged that possibility on Wednesday, and Smith made his pitch clear.
"It ain't about looking for a top-30 quarterback," Smith said. "It’s about looking for a better backup than Jameis Winston.”
That’s the kind of line that gets the internet buzzing, but it also runs straight into the same old ESPN habit: turning one player into the answer to everything. Before Sanders, it was Tim Tebow.
Now it’s Sanders and, at times, Dak Prescott. Different names, same obsession.
The problem for the Giants is that Sanders doesn’t look like the clean fix. He couldn’t beat out Deshaun Watson for the starting job even with a new coaching staff in place.
He also slid all the way to the fifth round in the 2025 draft, despite all the pre-draft talk about his style of play and his perceived immaturity. And even with a Pro Bowl selection on his résumé, his rookie season was mediocre at best.
That makes him a strange fit for a Giants team already hanging by a thread. If New York wants a backup behind Winston, there are more practical options.
Jimmy Garoppolo makes more sense. So does the Raiders’ Aidan O’Connell, if he’d come cheap enough.
Joe Schoen could even look at Nick Mullens from the Jaguars’ practice squad.
Winston, after all, is at least capable of giving the Giants semi-competent quarterback play. He has 89 career starts, and nobody is expecting him to suddenly morph into Peyton Manning from the old “Madden” games. The concern is obvious, though: the interceptions are always lurking, and Smith was not wrong to point out Winston’s tendency to make bad decisions.
Still, ESPN knows exactly what it’s doing. The more Sanders gets discussed, the more attention follows.
That was true with Tebow, and it’s true now. Some younger fans may know that era only through clips and memes, but those of us who lived through the 2011 and 2012 nonstop Tebow cycle remember it well.
Tebow never played again after the 2012 season. And if Sanders keeps getting dragged into every quarterback conversation, it wouldn’t be a shock if his name keeps getting treated the same way, even if he were off sailing the Seven Seas and making TikTok videos.
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Giants Suddenly Have A QB Opening Worth Watching Closely
Jaxson Darts knee injury has suddenly changed the quarterback picture for the Giants, and not in a way they wanted this early in the season. With Dart expected to miss an extended stretch, possibly the rest of the year, the team is left leaning on Jameis Winston as the backup while also surveying the market for another arm who can at least stabilize the depth chart.
Joe Milton III has emerged as a name worth watching because of his connection to the Cowboys practice squad and the promise he showed in the preseason. Drafted in 2024, he still has limited NFL experience, but the Giants appear to be weighing whether his upside makes him a better fit for active-roster help than simply staying put with what they have now. [Read more 🡒]
Odell Beckham Jr.'s Giants Return Already Has Fans Asking One Thing
Odell Beckham Jr.s latest Giants cameo had the kind of theater only he can produce, starting with a Michael Jackson-inspired crystal glove on Monday night against the Rams. The look grabbed attention immediately, but the football part of the night was far quieter, as Beckham was on the field for only three offensive snaps and didnt record a catch.
With the Giants starting quarterback leaving the game injured, the usage only sharpened the focus on Beckhams role. Fans could admire the flash, but the bigger question hanging over the return was what the Giants actually planned to do with him from here, and whether this was just a one-night nod or the start of something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
JJ McCarthy Just Got Pulled Into A Surprise Giants Scenario
Jaxson Darts knee injury has suddenly complicated the Giants quarterback picture in a way the organization could not have wanted this early. The team is still evaluating how Dart will recover, but the possibility that the injury could lead to season-ending surgery has forced a new layer of uncertainty onto a position group that already had plenty riding on his development.
Into that mix comes an unexpected name: JJ McCarthy. The Vikings quarterback has been mentioned as a possible trade target for New York, whether as a backup plan or a more direct answer if Darts status keeps trending the wrong way. Nothing official has come from the Giants, and any real pursuit would hinge on both Darts recovery timeline and whether Minnesota is even open to discussing a deal. [Read more 🡒]