There is such little certainty at the quarterback position and so many different pathways forward.
The Giants will soon have to pick one.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen’s opinions on this year’s rookie class of quarterbacks made ample headlines during “Hard Knocks” over the summer.
When asked if he’s seen enough to trade up to get Jayden Daniels, Daboll said, “I would.”
He went No. 2 to the Commanders and was out of reach.
Later, Schoen tried to trade with the Patriots for the No. 3 pick to draft Drake Maye, The Post previously reported.
The Patriots didn’t budge.
The Giants subsequently passed on Bo Nix and Michael Penix, instead drafting Malik Nabers to elevate Daniel Jones rather than draft his potential replacement.
Daniels and Nix have started from Day 1 and thrived, quickly changing the Commanders and Broncos’ fortunes.
Maye did not begin the season as the starter but took over Week 6 and has given reason for optimism.
And when the Giants face the Falcons on Sunday, Penix will be on the bench, where he has been all year as he sits behind Kirk Cousins.
Sunday, the Giants were dominated by a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who did not go high in the first round and began his rookie season as a backup before taking over late in the season and thriving.
The Giants have gotten good looks at teams that have found their quarterback in all sorts of different ways.
If the Giants regime returns, they’ll soon be tasked with finding their own recipe.
“It’s a difficult question to answer because it just takes one person on a club or a decision-maker that really likes somebody or doesn’t like somebody,” Daboll said Monday. “I think every situation is different for these quarterbacks that they come into. Consistency is important with it. The development of the quarterback is important with it.
“Every one of those guys you mentioned has a different skill set. All of them are playing at high levels. So, as many guys as you mentioned just now, there’s even more you can mention that haven’t hit. That’s just the nature of that position and the development of it.”
That Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward were in town this weekend for the Heisman Trophy presentation (Sanders to support teammate and eventual winner Travis Hunter, and Ward as a finalist) was a reminder of how delicate that decision is.
It’s just not picking the right quarterback, but then making the right decision in how quickly to thrust him into the fire.
The Giants will very likely pick at or near the top of the draft and be in position to land either Sanders or Ward.
If they do get one, they’ll still need to sign another quarterback to the roster — Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito have done little to earn a return as backup.
Will that be a veteran capable of being a short-term bridge starter — like a Justin Fields, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton or others — to allow Sanders or Ward or whichever rookie to sit and learn before taking the reins?
Or will they go cheaper, after burning $5 million this year on Lock without much reward, for someone with less pedigree and no threat to start over the rookie?
And, most importantly, will Daboll and Schoen be given enough time for that to even be a question?
Or, after such a disastrous season, will they not be afforded the patience to let a rookie sit and learn and later grow through early mistakes?
“Every situation has been a little bit different here with some of these guys that have really taken off to, I would say, elite level of quarterback play over the last five or six years since the draft,” Daboll said. “Again, every situation is different. The consistency there is important.”
That’s twice Daboll mentioned consistency as key to a quarterback’s development.
Whether the next Giants quarterback gets that consistency is another story.
