The New York Giants and Cleveland Browns have definitely earned their fair share of bad press in recent years—no surprise there. And at the heart of it? Quarterbacks. Whether it’s Daniel Jones or Deshaun Watson, both teams have been stuck with their share of busts. Now, despite still desperately needing a QB, true to form, they’re both reportedly eyeing the option to trade back in the 2025 NFL Draft. Because why not make things more complicated, right?
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After initially being listed as the favorites to select Shedeur Sanders, the Giants are now expected to pass on the former Buffalo with their third overall pick. Regardless of how you may evaluate Sanders as a prospect, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin now asserts that neither franchise can afford to turn their nose up at the 23-year-old prospect.
During his most recent appearance on Fox Sports’ Speak, the former Dallas Cowboy cited the G-Men’s infamous dealings with Daniel Jones before criticizing the front office’s inability to properly evaluate talent.
“If you’re going to have success in this league, it starts with the quarterback position… Both of these teams have spent an enormous amount of money trying to find that quarterback. You’re going to tell me that you were sold on Daniel Jones, but you ain’t sold on Shedeur Sanders? This is why you’re in the problems that you’re in right now,” Irvin outlined.
Following the departure of their best player, Saquon Barkley, the Giants seemed to be all in on Jones as the future of their franchise. The end result? A 3-14 regular season campaign that saw Jones get benched after a 2-8 start.
The decision to gamble on Jones was always viewed as being controversial, but now that it’s officially failed, Irvin has little sympathy for the Giants’ staff. Considering that the Browns have been a laughing stock for the better part of the last three decades, he didn’t hold back on them either.
“Shame on all of them, the whole staff, the whole organization, both of them, the Giants and the Browns. You put resources towards the quarterback position, now go find you a young quarterback. You don’t have them in the room.”
Given that New York managed to secure what was arguably the steal of the 2024 NFL Draft in Malik Nabers, the addition of a competent signal caller could go a long way in speeding up their rebuild. Then again, this year’s draft is believed to feature one of the weakest QB classes in recent memory, suggesting that the team could benefit from harvesting value by trading back.
Either way, Sanders managed to set the all-time FBS career record for pass completion percentage, highlighting the fact that he is undoubtedly a better prospect than Jones ever was. Should the Giants manage to blunder on April 24th, they’ll likely continue to operate under the guise of what Irvin calls “a smart dummy.”
Michael Irvin calls out the ignorance of the New York Giants
Given the Giants’ recent track record, many would agree that they are more than deserving of the title that Irvin bestowed upon them. However, his co-panelist and former first overall draft pick, Keyshawn Johnson, was willing to take it one step further.
According to the former Philadelphia Eagle, the NFL is dealing with an epidemic of faux geniuses.
“There are tons of them. The league is littered with smart dummies, there’s no question about it.”
While the Browns have a longstanding history of fudging draft picks, the Giants still have a way to go before damaging their reputation to the point of no return. Should they hope to avoid the same fate as their AFC counterpart, perhaps it’s best that they heed Irvin’s advice and play chess instead of checkers.
