“We got two insurance policies”: Mike Florio sees Giants gaining strategic edge after signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston

NFL: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers - Source: Imagn
NFL: New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers (Credits: IMAGN)

Now that quarterback Russell Wilson has joined the New York Giants, it is safe to assume that they will not spend premium draft capital in the position. After all, they invested a potential $21 million in Russell Wilson and also signed veteran quarterback Jameis Winston. Last year’s minor success story, Tommy DeVito, is also still on the roster.

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However, NBC Sports’ NFL insider Mike Florio disagrees. He believes there is a chance they will draft a quarterback with the third overall pick.

“I think they still are going to be in the weeds to take a quarterback at three, or quarterback at 34, or trade back into the bottom of round one to get a quarterback.”
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The Giants have the third and 34th overall picks after finishing with the 3rd-worst record in the league last year. He believes signing Wilson could be strategic, as it makes the Giants' drafting a quarterback less obvious.

“This allows them to operate without that reek of desperation because if you just have Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito, you may as well be carrying around a giant sign that says we are going to take a quarterback in the early rounds of the draft.”
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Florio believes that having both Wilson and Winston makes it less clear, reducing the likelihood that teams will trade up to get past the Giants. It is also an insurance plan in case they do not get the quarterback they want in the draft.

“Then you have to worry about getting boxed out by somebody who trades up in front of you. Now it's not as clear, so that preserves their strategic edge, and if they don't get a quarterback, they're like okay, like you said, we got two insurance policies, now we got Russ, and we got Jameis, and we go forward.”
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His co-host on Pro Football Talk, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, agrees.

“They can keep them all and still draft a quarterback. It’s still way less than market value top-end quarterback in the NFL anyway.”

The New York Giants will have an open competition for the starting quarterback spot between Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito

No matter what the New York Giants do with their draft picks, the starting quarterback position will be up for grabs. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that even if Russell Wilson appears to be the favorite, the Giants will still hold an open quarterback competition.

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All three quarterbacks started regular season games last season. Jameis Winston was the starting quarterback after Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles, starting from week 8 till week 16. Tommy Devito took over as the starting quarterback for the Giants but went 0-2 in the games he started.

Russell Wilson led the Steelers to the playoffs after missing the first four weeks of the season, but they were handily trounced in the wildcard round.

That could be three-way, or even four-way if the Giants draft Shedeur Sanders, battle for the starting quarterback position.

Giants Nation! Check out the latest New York Giants Schedule and dive into the Giants Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25
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