New York Giants

Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn't respond kindly when the New York Giants challenged his on-field acumen, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB.

During an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand, Breer relayed how the Giants put Sanders through the usual step of going over a play install.

"They give players an install, and there are mistakes intentionally put in the install," Breer said (via Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston). "He didn't catch them and got called on it, and it didn't go well after that. ... He was pissed that they did that to him."

The NFL insider provided another example of how Sanders may not have approached the pre-draft process with the right mindset.

A team wanted to discuss an interception he had thrown on a deep pass early into one game. Sanders said he "like(s) to get into a rhythm earlier in the game," a rationale that seemingly didn't sit well with the coaches and evaluators interviewing him. Eventually, the signal-caller suggested that "maybe I'm not a fit for you."

When it comes to the Giants, this perhaps provides some context for why there was an internal divide on Sanders.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in April that "certain segments of the Giants organization want Sanders more than others." Todd McShay of The Ringer then left no doubt as to head coach Brian Daboll's thoughts, reporting on April 23 that Sanders "is a no-go" in the eyes of the coach.

New York ultimately traded back into the first round to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the 25th pick.

Sanders was widely expected to be a Day 2 pick at worst. He was the No. 23 overall player on Bleacher Report's final big board.

By falling all the way to the fifth round, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner is instead likely to serve as a cautionary tale for prospects who make any assumptions about their draft stock.

Lawrence Taylor might not be flexible when it comes to having his number back in circulation for the New York Giants, but Phil Simms was at least willing to let Abdul Carter wear No. 11 before his family stepped in.

Simms told NFL insider Gary Myers he would have been okay with bringing his number out of retirement for Carter, but he was "outvoted by his family."

The Giants legend previously appeared on FanDuel TV to say that he also would have been willing to give his No. 11 to Jaxson Dart if he had requested it before his agent stepped in.

Dart's number has not been confirmed, but he used No. 2 throughout his four-year college career between USC and Mississippi. That number was just taken by veteran cornerback Deonte Banks, who is switching from No. 3.

Even though it doesn't seem like No. 11 will be brought out of retirement, Simms' stance is at least more friendly to the Giants rookies than what Taylor said.

Taylor told ESPN's Jordan Raanan he denied Carter's request to use his No. 56 when the two spoke after the Giants selected the Penn State alum with the third pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

"He has to be the player that he is," Taylor said. "He can't be another Lawrence Taylor. Well, he may be better than a Lawrence Taylor, who knows. But he has to make his mark. It's up to him."

No Giants player has used No. 56 since Taylor retired from the NFL after the 1993 season. His number was officially retired by the franchise the following year.

Carter wore jersey No. 11 during his three seasons at Penn State. He became the highest-drafted defensive player by the Giants since Carl Banks in 1984 (third overall).

The Giants retired Simms' number in 1995. He spent his entire 14-year career with the organization, leading them to two Super Bowl titles in 1986 and 1990. His completion percentage of 88.0 (22-of-25) in Super Bowl XXI remains the highest single-game performance by any player in the history of the game.

Despite the New York Giants' big bet on Jaxson Dart in the 2025 NFL draft, there's skepticism from people within the league about him playing as a rookie.

One NFL executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando that Dart "probably shouldn't play" in his first season.

"Some people think Dart is a year away, more of a project," the exec said. "They probably shouldn’t play him at all this year, or not until very late."

The Giants traded their picks in the second and third rounds (Nos. 34 and 99), plus a 2026 third-round pick to the Houston Texans for the 25th pick that was used to select Dart.

New York did plan for the possibility of needing a bridge option to give Dart development time. Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston were signed as free agents.

Head coach Brian Daboll didn't waver on Wilson being the starter going into the 2025 season even after the addition of Dart.

Even though Dart has extensive college experience as a three-year starter at Mississippi, the Lane Kiffin offense doesn't really prepare players for how to play in the NFL all that well.

The Ole Miss system relies heavily on the types of plays that take a lot of the burden off quarterbacks, like quick passes, RPOs and play-action.

One NFC executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler in February that Kiffin's system is a "mess" for incoming quarterbacks.

B/R's Dame Parson noted in his scouting report that Dart's processing if his first read isn't available is "slower than expected for a senior quarterback" and he "does not anticipate throwing lanes well at this stage of his career."

Dart did earn high marks for his athleticism and rushing ability, which did show up in games with 1,498 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in 39 games over the past three seasons.

Wilson isn't necessarily the best quarterback to mentor a young player because his style of play is so unique that it doesn't really work for anyone else. He can play well enough to serve as a bridge to the future if the Giants don't consider Dart ready to start in 2025.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen gave his thoughts on incoming rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart sitting below veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston on the team's depth chart.

"So again, Jaxson's going to come in, he's got to learn the offense, there's a lot to learn, these NFL offenses are hard to grasp and pick up and then be able to go out and execute, so the ability for him to learn and sit behind two consummate pros already will be beneficial for him," Schoen said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra).

"And again, still, injuries occur, you know we've played seven quarterbacks over the last two years, so he's going to have to prepare like he's going to have to play," he added. "So again you want him to come in, develop a routine, learn how to be a pro, learn how to study the game, and then if his number's called and he has to go out and execute, he's going to need to be ready."

The Giants clearly hold Dart in high regard, as they traded up to select him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

The 21-year-old was impressive throughout his senior season at Ole Miss, completing 69.3 percent of his throws and leading the SEC with 4,279 yards through the air. He also tossed 29 touchdowns compared to a mere six interceptions.

Still, New York is attempting to build upon a disappointing 3-14 finish in 2024 and putting a rookie under center in Week 1 doesn't appear to be the team's plan.

Wilson signed a one-year deal worth $10.5 million with the Giants in free agency. While the 36-year-old isn't a long-term option for New York, he's coming off a 2024 campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he earned the 10th Pro Bowl nod of his career.

As for Winston, he agreed to a two-year contract with the Giants on March 21. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft may not be a threat to Wilson's starting job, but he does have 87 career starts under his belt.

While Schoen and the Giants are looking forward to Dart eventually seeing the field, they're also searching for instant contributions at quarterback as they look to improve upon the NFL's second-worst scoring offense last season.

Just like every wide receiver in the NFL, Malik Nabers wants the ball coming his way if he's open.

The New York Giants star didn't shy away from saying that he gets frustrated when he's promised a certain number of targets and doesn't end up getting those targets.

“You told me I was going to get the ball,” Nabers said on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast (h/t Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper). “I’m getting open and I’m not getting that pill. We’ve got a problem. We’ve got a problem... I ain’t playing about that ball.”

Nabers also admitted that NFL wide receivers are "definitely" divas and said, "we don’t like not getting the ball.”

Luckily, a lack of targets wasn't an issue for Nabers during his rookie campaign. He had the fifth-most receptions (109) and the seventh-most receiving yards (1,204) along with seven touchdowns, despite missing two games.

With a fantastic rookie campaign behind him, Nabers should be on his way to an even bigger year with a new quarterback room featuring Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart.

The New York Giants declined Evan Neal's fifth-year option, but they will give the offensive lineman the chance to prove himself at a new position in 2025.

Per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams), Neal will compete with Greg Van Roten and Aaron Stinnie for the starting right guard job after spending most of his career at right tackle.

The signings of free agent offensive linemen James Hudson III and Stone Forsythe gave New York enough flexibility to let Neal try to earn a spot at right guard while Jermaine Eluemunor holds down the starting right tackle position.

Williams noted that Neal has not played guard since his freshman season at Alabama in 2019. He was the Crimson Tide's right tackle as a sophomore and moved to left tackle in 2021.

The move comes as Neal looks to put together a strong year in hopes of getting a new contract from either the Giants or another team. Neal missed out on $16.7 million since New York declined his contract option, and he'll now play the 2025 season on the final year of his rookie deal.

Neal, who missed last year's training camp while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, lost his starting job at right tackle to Eluemunor in 2024. He still ended up starting a handful of games due to injuries and recorded a 61.2 PFF grade.

While Neal's career hasn't gone the way he would have hoped, the change of position could work out for him as it has for others. Mekhi Becton, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, shifted from tackle to guard last year with the Philadelphia Eagles, and it revived his career and helped him earn a $20 million contract with the Chargers this offseason.

Perhaps Neal's career will follow a similar trajectory.

New York Giants edge-rusher Abdul Carter was among the 2025 NFL draft prospects who received a prank call during the event.

"It's unfortunate that these private numbers are getting to the people making the prank calls," his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Abdul and I knew it was BS and didn't even tell his family about the call."

Rosenhaus said the call happened when the Jacksonville Jaguars were on the clock with the No. 2 overall pick.

This wasn't an isolated incident.

Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, called Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders and impersonated New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. The NFL issued fines of $250,000 to the Falcons and $100,000 to Ulbrich.

Kyle McCord and Tyler Warren reportedly also received prank calls as the draft was ongoing.

The Washington Post's Mark Maske reported an investigation remains ongoing and that there isn't any evidence linking Ulbrich to any of the other calls:

In the case of Carter, he was widely projected to be a top-five pick, and once the Jaguars traded up to the second overall selection, it was pretty clear they were going to take Travis Hunter.

Carter came off the board to the Giants one pick later. Ultimately, the prank call probably did little to spoil his night.

Eli Manning is looking to lead an investment group to purchase a stake in his former team, the New York Giants, per Gillian Tan and Randall Williams of Bloomberg.

Last February, Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal reported that the Giants were looking to sell up to 10 percent of the team.

The latest Forbes valuation of the Giants is listed at $7.3 billion, while CNBC listed Big Blue at $7.85 billion. Both valuations were published just prior to the 2024 season.

Manning played his entire 16-year career (2004-2019) with the Giants, winning Super Bowls in 2007 and 2011. The four-time Pro Bowler threw 366 regular-season touchdown passes and was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor in 2021, when his No. 10 jersey was retired.

He's remained connected to the franchise. In 2021, Manning got a new role with "duties encompassing business development, marketing, and community and corporate relations," per the team's website.

Through the Giants, Manning also stars in the "Eli Manning Show" alongside his old Big Blue teammate and center Shaun O'Hara.

So Manning obviously has a strong connection to his old team, but it's clear he'd like to take it a step even further through an ownership stake.

The team is currently owned by the Mara and Tisch families via a 50-50 split, with John Mara serving as president and CEO and overseeing the franchise's day-to-day operations.

Even though the New York Giants wound up not drafting Shedeur Sanders, there was a point in the pre-draft process when they really liked him as a prospect.

On the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast (starts at 10:00 mark), The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported toward the end of the 2024 season the Giants had Sanders ranked as the No. 1 quarterback on their big board.

"Once they realized they weren't gonna get Cam Ward," Russini reported, "Shedeur to them was their top quarterback."

Things clearly changed in the months between the end of the season into the draft. One of the key turning points seems to be the Giants' in-person meeting with Sanders.

On April 24, hours before the start of the draft, NFL draft guru Todd McShay wrote in his newsletter Sanders' visit with Giants head coach Brian Daboll "did not go particularly well" due to "some frustration between the two regarding Sanders’s preparation of an install package."

Daboll didn't provide any specific details about his evaluation of Sanders when asked about McShay's report following the first round of the draft.

We know that New York eventually moved Jaxson Dart over Sanders on its board because the team traded back into the first round to select the Mississippi quarterback with the No. 25 overall pick when Sanders was still available.

The Giants don't seem like the only team that came out of the pre-draft process feeling less positive toward Sanders than when it initially began.

Sanders ultimately landed with a team that had been thought of as a landing spot for him when the Cleveland Browns selected him in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick.

It was a precipitous fall for a player who may have once been thought of as a candidate to go No. 3 overall to the Giants back when he was the top-ranked quarterback on their board.

The New York Giants are declining Evan Neal's fifth-year contract option for the 2026 season, general manager Joe Schoen announced Saturday.

Neal had a solid start to his career after the Giants picked him seventh overall out of Alabama in 2022. His rookie year saw him start 13 games at right tackle, though part of his season was taken away due to a knee injury.

After a promising start in 2022, Neal fell victim to injuries in 2023, playing just seven games because of an ankle injury. That injury eventually required offseason surgery.

The offseason surgery meant Neal wasn't ready to go for the Giants' training camp in 2024, and he ended up losing his starting spot at right tackle to Jermaine Eluemunor.

While he wasn't the starter going into the season, Neal still started a handful of games due to several injuries to the Giants' offensive linemen. Neal recorded a 61.2 PFF grade in 2024.

All in all, Neal has had a somewhat disappointing start to his NFL career, mainly due to injuries holding him back.

While the Giants declined his fifth-year option, it's still possible he returns on a new contract when the time comes. He'll look to make the most of the upcoming season as he works toward a new deal.