This is the fourth entry in a five-part series about the state of the New York Giants. Within “Giants 2025,” we will examine the talent on the roster, the team’s positions of need, their pathways to improvement, the players they could target in the offseason and finally, the people charged with restoring this franchise to its former glory. 

As the New York Giants pondered taking a quarterback in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, the team’s brass reviewed the spotty recent history of top picks at the position in a “Hard Knocks” scene. As coach Brian Daboll rattled through the list of first-round busts over the past 10 years, general manager Joe Schoen asked for the takeaway from the review.

“Take a (C.J.) Stroud,” Daboll replied dryly about the Texans quarterback named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after being the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft.

If only it was that simple. As the Giants prepare to dive into the quarterback pool of the 2025 NFL Draft, they’ll do so fully aware there are no assurances whoever they pick will have a Stroud-like effect on their franchise. Recent history shows it’s rare for a rookie quarterback to engineer a turnaround like Stroud in Houston or 2024 No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels this season in Washington.

The reason for that is obvious: Top picks generally go to bad teams. So, no matter the rookie quarterback’s talent, it’s a tall task to single-handedly transform a doormat into a contender overnight.

That point is further emphasized by the top picks, like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, who were dumped by their first team only to find success elsewhere later in their careers. Those cases reinforce the importance of the external factors around a young quarterback.

The Giants are on track to land the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. That will allow them to choose between Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, who are widely viewed as the top two quarterback prospects in the 2025 class. So here’s a closer look at the Giants’ ecosystem Sanders or Ward will walk into.

Part I: How many building blocks can one of the league’s worst rosters actually have?
Part II: Salary cap shouldn’t stand in way of improvement; NY has money to spend
Part III: Free-agent targets include bridge QB, help for Dexter Lawrence, true No. 1 CB

Coaching staff

No one formula guarantees success for a rookie quarterback. But some important ingredients typically help a young QB thrive.

The offensive coaching staff might be the most important element. Daniels has excelled under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who was the Cardinals’ head coach when 2019 No. 1 pick Kyler Murray won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

“It always looks like Jayden has an answer no matter what you do,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger told The Athletic. “If you go blitz-zero on him, he knows where he wants to go with the ball. He’s an elite athlete. He can escape, and he can rescue some plays. But I feel like built into the offense, they always have a check-down some place where he can just get the ball out of his hands and get the ball to a receiver — maybe break a tackle, maybe pick up a first down — but at least get a completion where you can build confidence in your player.”

Meanwhile, dysfunctional coaching situations and suspect schemes have derailed elite prospects like 2021 No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville and 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams in Chicago as rookies.

“(The Bears) fired the offensive coordinator first, then they elevated the quarterbacks coach to be the offensive coordinator, so now he has that,” Baldinger said. “Then they fired the head coach and elevated the offensive coordinator now to head coach. Now he’s splitting his duties between coaching Caleb, which he was doing full time, to now he’s got to coach the whole team. So that’s a disaster.”

It’s tricky to forecast the Giants’ coaching situation. Daboll oversaw the development of Josh Allen from a raw prospect to an MVP-caliber quarterback after getting picked No. 7 by the Bills in 2018.

Daboll’s track record with Allen was a major selling point when he was hired by the Giants in 2022. But the Giants haven’t drafted a quarterback in Daboll’s three years on the job. Some initial success with 2019 first-round pick Daniel Jones deteriorated rapidly. Now, Daboll may not be around to mentor Sanders or Ward because of how catastrophically the Giants have failed in the past two seasons.

“I feel like Brian has concepts that are good that can work,” Baldinger said. “I feel like if you gave him really good pieces, I think he could be a good game planner and build a good offense around (a rookie QB).”

Moving on from Daboll and Schoen would provide a complete reset, allowing the three most important individuals in the organization to be on the same timeline as they are in Washington. That would avoid the current mess in Chicago, where Williams will have a third head coach and a GM on the hot seat to start his second season.

If the Giants fire Daboll, they need to prioritize hiring the best head coach to lead the entire team. But there’s an obvious appeal to landing a coach with an offensive background as they prepare to shepherd in a new quarterback. Because if a defensive-minded coach hires an offensive coordinator, that assistant will become a coveted head-coaching candidate if he has success developing the Giants’ quarterback. Washington could face that problem as Kingsbury rebuilds his profile through Daniels’ success.

“If he’s proven to be good, you’re going to lose him,” Baldinger said. “Now you’re changing coordinators, and you’re changing the offense for that guy. I feel like a young quarterback needs an offensive coordinator head coach.”

Supporting cast

The supporting cast is another key component to helping a young quarterback succeed. Drake Maye has flashed the potential that made him the third pick in this year’s draft, but the results have been lackluster due to the Patriots’ dearth of offensive talent.

A new Giants quarterback will inherit some talent at the skill positions, headlined by Malik Nabers, who looks like a No. 1 wide receiver after an impressive rookie season. Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. has also shown promise. But the playmakers could use an upgrade to better support a rookie quarterback.

“I like Tyrone Tracy a lot. I think he’s good,” Baldinger said. “It doesn’t look like (Darius) Slayton will come back. I don’t know what they’re doing with Jalin Hyatt. I thought Hyatt had some ability. But you’re basically looking at a decent slot receiver (Wan’Dale Robinson) and then Malik. I think (tight end) Theo Johnson can be OK.”

Perhaps more important to a young quarterback’s success than his weapons is his protection. Armed with the most cap space in the NFL, the Commanders overhauled their offensive line this offseason. They signed center Tyler Biadasz and left guard Nick Allegretti while adding left tackle Brandon Coleman in the third round of the draft.

The Giants’ offensive line progressed from historically bad to functional this season. That’s a step in the right direction, but only left tackle Andrew Thomas, who has an increasingly concerning injury history, is a top-tier lineman.

The Giants figure to run it back with veterans Jon Runyan at left guard and Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle, with 2023 second-round pick John Michael Schmitz at center. That’s a serviceable core, but there aren’t any Pro Bowlers in that group. Right guard is a weakness that needs to be addressed this offseason.

“I would invest, maybe not a first-round pick, in getting a really good player on the offensive line. Maybe you look in free agency,” Baldinger said. “They’ve had injuries every year. I would make sure I’m at least seven-deep with veteran players.”

There are other factors, like having strong leadership and a quality defense, that are valuable complements to a young quarterback. The Giants’ leadership void has been exposed this season after losing some of their most respected voices in the locker room. Adding a veteran like the Commanders did with future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner would be beneficial.

The Giants’ defense hasn’t been a disaster this season, but it’s not a formidable unit. More upgrades will be needed on that side of the ball to relieve some pressure from a young quarterback.

Schoen’s sales pitch to ownership undoubtedly will be that the team is a quarterback away from contending. And that if the right quarterback is plugged in, they can take off like the Commanders did with Daniels this season.

But that type of success is rare. A review of first-round quarterbacks picked by teams with four or fewer wins in the past 10 drafts shows it’s uncommon to see immediate team success.

(This table doesn’t include teams that traded up to the top of the draft since they weren’t in the same situation as the Giants in the previous season. The team’s overall season record is in parenthesis when a quarterback didn’t start every game as a rookie.)

The Giants can only dream about drafting a quarterback as good as Joe Burrow. But not even the NFL’s current passing leader was able to turn around the moribund Bengals immediately. Burrow went 2-7-1 in 10 starts before tearing his ACL during his rookie season in 2020. He led the Bengals to a 10-6 record and a trip to the Super Bowl in his second season after the team added All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the first round of the 2021 draft and star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in free agency during the 2021 offseason.

Obviously, the goal is to land a quarterback who can perform at the level of Burrow for the next decade. But this exercise is designed to examine how well the Giants are positioned to facilitate an instant turnaround with a rookie quarterback.

It’s impossible to project how NFL-ready Sanders or Ward are at this point, so we can only evaluate the situation they’ll be joining. The Giants have some pieces in place to facilitate a rookie quarterback’s success, but there are some big questions — most notably with the coaching staff — that need to be addressed.

(Photo illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; photos of Andrew Thomas, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Malik Nabers and Joe Schoen: Cooper Neill, Luke Hales, Todd Kirkland and Bryan Bennett / Getty Images)

Two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas opened up about his personal health. 

During a recent appearance on former NBA coach Mark Jackson’s “Come And Talk 2 Me” podcast, Thomas revealed he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. 

The condition resulted in his facial muscles drooping.

“I’ve gotten a lot of love from people saying, ‘Well, Isiah’s sick. What is he going through?’” he said. “I haven’t really told anybody, but I’ve got Bell’s palsy. … That’s why you see me like this. I appreciate the prayers and the love. That’s what’s happening with my mouth right now. I just wanted everyone to know that.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Bell’s palsy is a neurological condition that can cause muscles on one side of the face to suddenly weaken. People diagnosed with Bell’s palsy experience symptoms ranging from mild to severe. 

NBA CHAMPION ISIAH THOMAS DEMANDS MICHAEL JORDAN ISSUE A PUBLIC APOLOGY

A smile could appear one-sided and the eye on the affected side could be difficult to close. Over time, the condition can improve.

Team Isiah head coach Isiah Thomas is introduced during the 2022 NBA Rising Stars Challenge at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland Feb. 18, 2022. (Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports)

Thomas is not the first former or current NBA player who has dealt with Bell’s palsy. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers said he was diagnosed with the condition ahead of April’s playoff series against the New York Knicks.

Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas during the second half of a game between the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Footprint Center in Phoeniz, Ariz., April 3, 2024. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)

Embiid averaged 33 points during the series.

Thomas spent his entire NBA career with the Detroit Pistons, earning 12 All-Star team nods. He was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1990.

After he retired, Thomas made the leap to coaching and spent time leading the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. He also coached at the collegiate level.

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LAS VEGAS —  It was less than four months ago, at the start of his third and most consequential season yet as USC’s coach, that Lincoln Riley walked off this same field at Allegiant Stadium, brimming with belief. His new quarterback had come through. His rebuilt defense had delivered. The statement he’d been searching for finally seemed to arrive in a season-opening win over Louisiana State.

“We know what we’ve been building,” Riley said that night. “I know we’re making progress.”

By late December, any signs of that progress had long since disappeared, and confidence in USC’s coach had faded along with it, lost along the way through a frustrating season that ended Friday night right back where it began.

But after a campaign filled with frustrating fourth-quarter collapses, the Trojans were able to return, however briefly, to the form they found back in September, coming from behind to beat Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl 35-31 to finish their season 7-6.

The bookends bore some striking resemblance, down to the breathtaking finish, as USC once again fought through a fourth-quarter deficit to earn a statement-making win. Even if this statement didn’t ring quite the same as the one in September.

Once again it took timely stops by USC’s defense and heroic performances from its top receiver, as Ja’Kobi Lane reeled in 127 yards and three touchdowns, giving him a dozen on the year.

But this time the Trojans quarterback had to dig his way out of a deep hole first.

Where Miller Moss had put on a show throughout the season opener, his replacement, Jayden Maiava, struggled to move USC’s offense at all at the start of a mistake-filled finale. Worse yet, he committed three head-scratching interceptions, each of which threatened to derail a Trojans offense that seemed to be hanging by a thread.

But before the questions about USC’s quarterback future could be posed, Maiava managed to move the Trojans down the field on one scoring drive … then another … then another. He hit Makai Lemon for two big plays downfield, then found Lane for his second and third touchdowns. In quick succession, USC erased a three-score deficit behind its quarterback’s cannon right arm.

Texas A&M fired back, as quarterback Marcel Reed worked his own magic on a go-ahead touchdown drive, sprinting his way into the end zone with less than two minutes remaining.

It was too much time to leave Maiava, who put an ugly start behind him to finish with 295 yards and four touchdowns. As he sat back in the pocket on third and 13, with the bowl hanging in the balance, he fired a pass downfield that found Lane, who stumbled his way through one tackle for a 33-yard gain. Maiava hit Lane again, just before the goal line, but a delay of game set the Trojans back to the seven with just 12 seconds left.

It was Kyle Ford this time who broke open on the slant, as Maiava fired a dart for the go-ahead score.

It was a stunning, fourth-quarter turn for the Trojans, who’d seemed well on their way to giving away the game through the first three quarters. With five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, USC trailed by 17, with three turnovers to its name. But the Trojans defense stood tall from there, stopping the Aggies on three consecutive drives and giving Maiava just enough time to guide USC back into the lead.

Texas A&M wasted little time in asserting its will at the start, marching down the field with a methodical, 16-play touchdown drive, while USC struggled to move the ball. None of the Trojans’ first three drives managed to extend beyond six yards, while the Aggies racked up 134 in the first quarter alone.

Opportunities kept being handed to USC, anyway. A 46-yard return from Lemon set USC up at midfield, only for the drive to screech to a halt. A diving interception from Kamari Ramsey set the Trojans up in similar position on the next possession … with similarly disappointing results.

At any moment, it seemed Texas A&M might break the game open. But a tipped Aggies pass in the end zone was picked off by Akili Arnold, giving the Trojans yet another chance to find their footing. This time they followed through, as Maiava found Lane streaking wide open across the field to tie it 7-7.

USC linebacker Mason Cobb, left, and defensive end Braylan Shelby celebrate in the first half Friday.

(David Becker / Getty Images)

The Aggies stalled after that, managing a meager five yards in the second quarter. And yet USC still couldn’t seize control. One drive ended with a regrettable deep ball from Maiava that was picked off. Another was spent running down the clock just before halftime, only for USC to miss a 39-yard field goal.

Texas A&M did its best to make USC pay after that, scoring 17 straight points in the third quarter. But it wasn’t enough, as Maiava led the Trojans back to finish an up-and-down season on a high note, right where it started.