New York Giants

Shedeur Sanders may be expecting a call from the New York Giants when the 2025 NFL Draft takes place this spring.

Sanders revealed custom Giants cleats on Saturday night ahead of his final game with Colorado during the Alamo Bowl against BYU.

Detailed look at Shedeur Sanders’ custom New York Giants Nike cleats 🔴🔵 Should the Giants draft him? 🤔

📸: nomad_customs https://t.co/92Pk7CKW43 pic.twitter.com/iU1IjlQpy4

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) December 28, 2024

Sanders mentioned the significance of his cleats earlier this week in a conversation with his brother, Shilo Sanders.

"We know where we're going, baby...We know where we're going, baby," Shedeur Sanders said at about the 6:20 mark of the video below. "You'll see them in the cleats later on this week."

When Shilo Sanders answered that he couldn't know where he was going because "the team might trade up," Shedeur Sanders answered, "You can't get higher than one."

The Giants currently have the best shot at the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft.

The franchise will enter this offseason in need of a new quarterback after waiving Daniel Jones in the second season of his four-year, $160 million contract.

After getting burned on the Jones deal, adding a new signal caller on a rookie contract could be a more attractive proposition than a trade or free agent signing.

Sanders appeared to reference potentially being drafted by the Giants in a November episode of his podcast. His father, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, recently expressed confidence that the Giants will keep the No. 1 pick and use the selection to draft Sanders.

But Miami quarterback Cam Ward could also look to be the first signal caller taken off the board in April after finishing his final college season as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

NFL scouts will get one last look at both Sanders and Ward in NCAA action as their college careers wrap up on Saturday. Ward and the Hurricanes played Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl prior to Colorado's night game.

The quarterback prospects will meanwhile watch the final two weeks of the NFL season to see how the final draft order shakes out.

The Giants have two games remaining against the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. A victory in either contest could give a three-win team like the Browns, Jaguars, Raiders, Titans or Patriots a potential shot at the first pick.

With just two games left in what has been a historically dismal season for the New York Giants, the pressing question is whether general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will retain their positions.

According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the two are "not seen as a package deal," despite arriving together from Buffalo with matching contracts.

"Mara evaluates the entire football operation when each season ends, and his head coach and GM will be evaluated on their own merits" NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday.

New York enters Sunday's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts riding a 10-game losing streak and just two defeats away from matching the worst record in franchise history, set in 1966 when the Giants finished 1-12-1, per Pelissero and Rapoport.

The Giants are only two years removed from a 31-24 playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings during the 2022 Super Wild Card Weekend. Fast forward to 2024 and lingering injuries and the release of their former quarterback Daniel Jones have left them last in the league in scoring, averaging just 14.3 points per game.

According to Pelissero and Rapoport, the prevailing sense is that Giants president and CEO John Mara is reluctant to make changes, stating as much back in October when the Giants were 2-5, emphasizing patience in honor of his father, Wellington Mara.

The New York Giants hired both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ahead of the 2022 season, but that reportedly doesn't mean they will always be linked together as the front office decides on the franchise's future.

"I think the bottom line here, looking at the situation in New York, do not think or believe that they are together," Dianna Russini of The Athletic said Tuesday on the Scoop City podcast (31-minute mark). "They are not a duo. It is not looked at that way."

It would be easy to speculate that Schoen and Daboll are a combined package if the Giants decided to make significant hirings or firings this offseason, as there was a connection in place even before they joined New York.

After all, Schoen was the assistant general manager for the Buffalo Bills when Daboll was the offensive coordinator.

"Over the last four years, I have observed first-hand Brian's strengths as a leader—he is an excellent communicator, intelligent, innovative, and hard working," Schoen said in a statement at the time of the Daboll hiring. "Brian's genuine and engaging personality is refreshing. He fosters relationships with the players and coaches around him. He is progressive in his vision and values collaboration, two of the attributes we think are essential."

However, Russini's report leaves open the possibility the Giants could decide to bring only one of the general manager or head coach back after a disappointing 2024 campaign.

New York is 2-13 and in line to land the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft. Firing the general manager and coach ahead of an offseason where the team may also draft the next franchise quarterback could create a situation where the three positions develop alongside each other in the coming years.

Yet SI.com's Albert Breer reported Monday that team owner John Mara may look to keep one or both of Daboll and Schoen because he "doesn't want to blow it up again."

Change would be understandable considering the Giants are just 17-31-1 under Daboll the last three years, and the franchise will be a significant focal point this offseason given speculation around the coach and GM position and the possible No. 1 pick.

But there might not be as many changes as possible if Mara decides to just keep one of Schoen and Daboll.

The New York Giants have lost 10 straight games. They have the worst record in the NFL at 2-13. Daniel Jones was benched and later released this season. Saquon Barkley is thriving in Philadelphia after ditching the Giants in free agency during the offseason. Very little has gone right for the team in 2024.

Normally, this level of ineptitude would lead to major changes, either at general manager, head coach or both. It's possible, however, that team owner John Mara may choose to keep both Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen in place, as SI.com's Albert Breer reported Monday:

Now, I still believe Daboll has a high ceiling as a coach, and the same goes for Schoen as a GM. But the team I saw Sunday looked disengaged and lifeless, and it's been that way far too often since the Giants last won a game. And while I know Mara doesn't want to blow it up again—if he fired those two guys, he'd be into his fifth head coach and third GM in less than a decade, which is unbecoming of the NFL's Tiffany franchise—the facts are the facts, and narratives have slowly become reality.

Keeping both would be wildly unpopular in New York, and even retaining one of the two after last season's 6-11 record and this year's utter collapse would raise more than a few eyebrows around the Big Apple. The alternative viewpoint, of course, is that there's no guarantee Mara would hire the right people to replace them.

Schoen's drafts have had highs (Kayvon Thibodeaux, Malik Nabers, Tyrone Tracy Jr.) and lows (Evan Neal, Deonte Banks), and while losing Barkley to a divisional rival hurt, it arguably made sense for a rebuilding team to allocate those resources elsewhere. Will Mara trust him in a vitally important 2025 draft, however, when the team likely will have the top overall pick and its choice of quarterback prospects?

Daboll, meanwhile, led the Giants to the playoffs in his first season, though the team has regressed in each campaign since. In his defense, he was saddled with poor quarterback play and a lack of talent.

The Giants have some major decisions to make going forward, but one certainty is that retaining the status quo won't be a popular option.

Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is still taking care of his old offensive linemen.

Jordan Raanan of ESPN reported Friday that Jones sent all of his former Giants linemen limited edition bottles of Clase Azul tequila.

Daniel Jones with a class move. He may not be the Giants QB anymore but … he sent all the offensive linemen who were on the roster with him a limited edition bottle of Clase Azul.

Jones was benched and released by the Giants last month. He’s on the Vikings practice squad.

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) December 20, 2024

Jones was benched by the Giants in November and eventually requested his release, ending his six-year tenure with the team. He later signed with the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad.

Prior to his release, Jones had thrown for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading the team to a 2-8 record. Since he left the team, the Giants have gone 0-4 and are almost certain to be picking toward the top of the 2025 NFL Draft order.

While Jones isn't on the field in Minnesota, he has joined a team that is 12-2 and has championship aspirations.

He's also getting the chance to work with Vikings coach and renowned quarterback whisperer Kevin O'Connell ahead of his impending free agency.

As Jones prepares for the next stage of his career, his gesture toward his former teammates should show potential employers that he's a great add to any locker room.

The New York Giants knew well in advance they should be looking deeply into this year's quarterback class ahead of the 2025 NFL draft, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

"The Giants' fallback—if it didn't work out with Jones—was always to look for a solution in the draft, multiple sources have told ESPN throughout the year," Raanan reported Friday. "It's hardly a surprise they have heavily scouted at the University of Miami and spent an inordinate amount of time in Boulder and at Colorado games."

Miami and Colorado are the respective homes of quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders respectively. Giants personnel have apparently become very familiar with Sanders' surroundings in Boulder.

Per Raanan, Giants general manager Joe Schoen "has been to Colorado on multiple occasions this season" and was part of a team contingent that attended a Buffaloes practice in November.

Sanders is widely considered one of the top signal-callers on the board. In two years at Colorado, he has 7,156 passing yards and 62 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. As a senior, he's leading the FBS in completion percentage (74.2) and sits fifth in QB rating (168.8).

Sanders is the ninth-ranked prospect on Bleacher Report's 2025 big board. That's one spot below Ward, but they both have an 8.5 overall grade. The Colorado star is also listed as the most accurate and pro-ready of this year's passers.

The Giants are tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the NFL's worst record at 2-12. Should they wind up with the first or second overall pick, a quarterback is likely to be their top priority given their lack of a long-term option after waiving Daniel Jones.

Raanan reported Sanders is believed to prefer the Raiders over any other team, but he'd almost assuredly warm to the idea of playing under the bright lights of the Big Apple if that came to pass.

The New York Giants plan to start quarterback Drew Lock on Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons, per head coach Brian Daboll to reporters.

Lock missed last Sunday's 35-14 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens due to heel and left elbow injuries, but he will practice Wednesday.

Tommy DeVito started Sunday but suffered a concussion in the first half. Tim Boyle took over for the second half. DeVito has a chance to clear concussion protocol in time to be Lock's backup on Sunday, per Daboll.

The Giants signed Lock to a one-year, $5 million contract to be Daniel Jones' backup this season. However, New York's 2024 campaign has long spiraled out of control, to the point where the Giants benched (and then released) Jones.

Surprisingly, the Giants bypassed Lock in favor of starting DeVito for the first game in the post-Jones era on Sunday, Nov. 24 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

DeVito suffered a right forearm injury in that game and then sat the team's Thanksgiving Day tilt against the Dallas Cowboys.

Lock was QB1 for that matchup and also for the team's Dec. 8 game against the New Orleans Saints as DeVito continued to work his way back from the injury during the practice week.

Then DeVito moved back into the starting lineup when Lock was ruled out with injuries suffered during the Saints game. Now it's back to Lock again.

Needless to say, the constant quarterback shuffling probably hasn't been a fun exercise for anyone involved as the team trudges through a nine-game losing streak that could very well be 12 by the time the season mercilessly ends on Jan. 5 at the Philadelphia Eagles. New York may finish this season with an NFL-worst 2-15 mark, which would also set a franchise record for losses.

At any rate, the Giants should likely be in position to draft a quarterback in April, perhaps Colorado's Shedeur Sanders or Miami's Cam Ward.

In the meantime, a quarterback they bypassed in the 2024 draft, Michael Penix Jr., will be making his first-ever start for the Falcons. So the Giants will potentially be getting a look at what could have been when Penix leads the Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Shedeur Sanders and Malik Nabers had some New York Giants fans dreaming big last week after a video of them having a catch in New York City went viral, perhaps foreshadowing the future for the Giants if the team is able to select Sanders at the 2025 NFL draft.

Shedeur & Malik Nabers linked up in New York 👀

(via @DeionSandersJr, welloffforever/IG) pic.twitter.com/l5klip5EOH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2024

On Tuesday, Sanders discussed the friendly catch during his 2Legendary podcast, saying he was at a jeweler when Nabers pulled up.

"We were just sitting in there, talking about life and about everything, and we just went outside and were throwing the ball," he said (3:45 mark). "And talking to him in person, I feel like it a tough situation that he was put in. I feel like they try to pain him a certain way, because I said he gives them the opportunity to do that. I recently went through the same stuff with the media, to where I've got to understand there's some things I can say and some I can't say."

Nabers has expressed his frustrations throughout the season with New York's struggles and a lack of targets at times, but expressing those thoughts publicly can lead to a major backlash in the media whirlwind that is the Big Apple.

Sanders, who lives at the college football epicenter that is Colorado, can certainly relate.

Some New York Giants fans have had enough of the team's losing.

With New York set to play its second straight home game on Sunday, a banner urging team owner and president John Mara to "fire everyone" flew over MetLife Stadium for the second consecutive week:

For a second straight week, a banner flew over MetLife Stadium with a message prior to today's Giants-Ravens matchup:

"Mr. Mara enough - we won't stop until you fire everyone" pic.twitter.com/n0T0SwBNwy

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) December 15, 2024

This comes after a plane flying a banner that said, "Mr. Mara Enough. PLZ Fix This Dumpster Fire" flew over the stadium last Sunday ahead of the game against the New Orleans Saints.

New York lost that game 14-11 when Graham Gano's field goal that would have forced overtime was blocked in the final seconds.

That led to even more frustration for Giants fans, and a plane was back ahead of Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens with a new message suggesting the pattern will continue until things are better for the NFC East team.

Chances are, fans aren't going to be thrilled with Sunday's result either.

The Giants are 2-11 and have to face an 8-5 Baltimore team with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry leading the way. The Ravens are looking to better their positioning in the AFC playoff picture, and this is an opportunity to pick up a rather straightforward win ahead of a key divisional showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Paul Schwartz of the New York Post noted the Giants are 16.5 point underdogs, which was the largest spread for the 2024 season and the biggest one for an underdog home team in the NFL since at least the 1966 campaign.

That means there might be another plane flying overhead the stadium for the team's final home game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17.

Deion Sanders Jr. took to X on Saturday to shoot down an unsubstantiated rumor regarding the NFL preferences of his brother, Shedeur Sanders.

An account called NFL Rookie Watch posted Saturday that the University of Colorado quarterback is "prepared" to be drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders or Dallas Cowboys, and there is a "high likelihood" he would refuse to play for the New York Giants or Cleveland Browns.

In response, Sanders Jr. wrote that the account was "completely lying."

Bro is completely lying about everything he just tweeted https://t.co/ttnFAssotL

— Deion Sanders Jr (@DeionSandersJr) December 14, 2024

Sanders' father, University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders, echoed the sentiments of Sanders Jr.:

A Lie don’t care who tells it.
Please stop trying to become relevant by misrepresenting my son. God bless you. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/lvLpYD4HTh

— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) December 14, 2024

On the heels of an excellent 2024 campaign, Shedeur Sanders is considered a likely candidate to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL draft, and perhaps the top quarterback off the board.

There has recently been a great deal of speculation regarding the Raiders as a landing spot for Sanders due partly to Sanders' own actions.

Last week, Sanders posted a photo of the Raiders' Allegiant Stadium on his Instagram stories along with the caption, "Legendary."

Shedeur posted this while passing the Raiders’ stadium 👀🍿

QB1 to Vegas soon? 🎰

(via @ShedeurSanders) pic.twitter.com/JMOdX7iwzV

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2024

The Raiders are tied with the Giants for the worst record in the NFL at 2-11, and there is little doubt that they would have interest in targeting a quarterback early in the draft.

After releasing Derek Carr at the conclusion of the 2022 season, the Raiders signed veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but he struggled to the point that he lost his job to then-rookie Aidan O'Connell.

This past offseason, the Raiders replaced Garoppolo with Gardner Minshew, but he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, and O'Connell has not proved himself to be a long-term starting option.

Much like the Raiders, the Giants are in desperate need of a quarterback as well after releasing Daniel Jones a few weeks ago and cycling between Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito in recent weeks.

Other teams poised to pick near the top of the draft with a potential need at quarterback include the Browns, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets.

At 5-8, the Cowboys may not be in position to land Sanders or Miami quarterback Cam Ward, an it isn't likely that they would take a quarterback over other needs anyway.

There is a clear link between the Cowboys and his Sanders since his father, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, played five seasons in Dallas.

However, the Cowboys just signed veteran quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract extension in September, so they are committed to him for the foreseeable future.

It can be argued that Sanders and Ward are not as strong of prospects as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, who went first, second and third overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Even so, the importance of the quarterback position usually results in at least a couple of quarterbacks going early.

Sanders and Ward are the top candidates at quarterback to come off the board inside the top five or 10 picks, and Sanders Jr.'s comments suggest that Shedeur won't try to steer himself toward a specific team.