If New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman remain so high on Daniel Jones, why not start him right away?
This weekend’s shocking news that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is retiring offers a golden opportunity for them to do so.
The 29-year-old announced on Saturday that he’s calling it quits after a steady onslaught of injuries derailed a once-promising career.
“I’ve been stuck in this process,” Luck said (h/t ESPN). “I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live. It’s taken the joy out of this game… The only way forward for me is to remove myself from football.”
With just two weeks until the start of the regular season, Indianapolis is now left with Jacoby Brissett — who once again is being thrown into the fire as the team’s starter.
The 26-year-old has appeared in 20 games over the past two seasons with the Colts, starting 15 of them.
He’s 4-11 as a starter while completing 58.8-percent of his passes for 3,100 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions during his Colts career.
Those aren’t terrible numbers but this is a Colts team that is on the cusp of competing for an AFC South title. They can’t afford to have quarterbacking issues.
There has been no inclination that the Colts are looking for an upgrade under center, but the Giants could dangle veteran passer Eli Manning just to test the waters.
At 38 years old, Manning is on his last legs in the NFL, but the numbers on paper suggest that he still could flourish on a good team and under the right system.
Despite going 5-11 last season, Manning completed a career-high 66-percent of his passes for 4,299 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Manning would just have to be a game manager in Indianapolis — a city where his older brother became one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
His departure would allow the Giants to accrue draft capital in the form of picks while clearing a path for the next-perceived franchise quarterback in Jones.
The No. 6 pick of the 2019 draft has been red-hot during the preseason; which raises questions after each passing week on whether he should get the start come Week 1.
In three games, Jones has completed 25-of-30 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns, allowing Shurmur to start an “I told you so,” shtick.
“I think it’s time to start asking the people that didn’t like him what they think, quite frankly,” Shurmur said (h/t New York Post). “That’s what we thought he was when we drafted him.”
“It’s fun, about every six or seven days I’ve been able to tell you, ‘That’s what we saw when we drafted him.’ He just has a feel for playing the position. He’s steadily getting better every time he takes the field.”
If Gettleman can ship Manning out of town, albeit rather unceremoniously, then Giants management can further double down on the impending Jones era at MetLife Stadium.
