The New York Giants wisely met with Oklahoma star quarterback Kyler Murray this week, but the club can’t afford to enter a bidding war for his services.
For the second year in a row, a polarizing Oklahoma quarterback is the biggest and most discussed name in a draft class and also a signal-caller who could go first overall. Fans, critics, observers, scouts, and NFL insiders argued over Baker Mayfield last spring — about his size and attitude — before the Cleveland Browns selected him via the top pick.
That, obviously, worked out well for all involved, as he earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and appears to be Cleveland’s desperately needed football savior.
This time around, it’s Kyler Murray splitting opinions and sparking arguments. Yes, he’s undersized standing a hair shy of 5-11, but the 2018 winner of the Heisman Trophy may also be the best quarterback entering the league this month.
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Well over 5,000 yards of total offense, 4,361 of which came through the air; 42 passing touchdowns; 12 rushing scores. Odds are New York Giants fans know the numbers, unless you’re among those who decided to take an NFL vacation following the team’s 8-24 record over the past two seasons.
It’s only logical the Giants bring Murray in for a visit a couple of weeks before the draft. You’ve probably read two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning is 38 years old/in the twilight of his career/washed, and that New York could use a successor who may take the keys to the offense from the veteran’s grasp as soon as August.
How would Murray handle replacing the greatest quarterback in franchise history while also starting for the most popular football organization in the country’s biggest sports market? What are his thoughts on playing for Pat Shurmur and alongside the likes of Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram? How would he feel if he fell on the first night of the draft? These are only a few of the questions he likely faced.
One question Murray wouldn’t, and maybe couldn’t, answer: “So are the Arizona Cardinals really taking you first overall, or what?”
By now, the rumors are impossible to ignore. Take a quick spin around mock drafts ahead of the second full weekend in April, and you’ll see practically everybody with any information on the subject is linking the to-be rookie with the Cardinals. It seems inevitable Arizona will look to trade Josh Rosen en route to anointing Murray the club’s next chosen one.
Those not working within the New York front office can’t say, for sure, what general manager Dave Gettleman, Shurmur and team ownership think of Rosen, but it’s not a stretch to believe he doesn’t feature the type of temperament and personality they’d look for in a QB1.
Then again, reports and speculation the Cardinals are all-in on Murray could be nothing more than a smokescreen, as Greg Moore of the Arizona Republic recently wrote, in an attempt to shop the first pick to a team willing to sell the farm for the right to select the Heisman winner.
Oakland Raiders commander-in-chief Jon Gruden possesses the draft capital needed to move up for Murray and also the job security to make such a splash without worrying about any consequences or ramifications that arise if the quarterback flops. The Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins are two other teams that immediately come to mind when contemplating what organizations would reach out to Arizona.
The Giants sending either of its first-round selections — No. 6 or No. 17 — to the Cardinals for Rosen is a no-brainer. Rosen started his career with a first-round grade, he’d probably be a top-ten pick in this year’s class and he has a season’s worth of experience on his resume. He’d be a bargain at the price if he evolves into a franchise quarterback, and such a trade wouldn’t prevent the Giants from further bolstering the roster via the draft.
Gruden owns three first-round picks. The eccentric coach can get Murray if he so desires. Let the Washington football club again put its eggs in the basket tied to a single signal-caller.
Allegedly, the Giants trading Odell Beckham. Jr. to the Cleveland Browns occurred because New York required assets to rebuild on both sides of the football. Yes, a franchise quarterback is worth his weight in gold, but Robert Griffin III and Carson Wentz are both cautionary tales, the latter if injuries continue to haunt him on a yearly basis.
Hear Arizona out. Maybe even offer picks No. 6 and No. 17 to move up. If a true bidding war erupts, however, the Giants should see themselves out.