Will this be Eli Manning’s last game as a Giant?

There has been a lot of speculation that Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys will be Eli Manning’s final game as quarterback of the New York Giants.  Whether that’s true or not is for you to decide, but nevertheless it’s been another constant point of conversation all around New York.

Pat Shurmur claims that Eli will be returning in 2019 and hopes that the final snap will be him in victory formation on Sunday.  Many players have been asked the same, and they all hope that Eli is back.  Eli himself has said he’s unsure of his future but that this is his only home and that he wants to remain a Giant for the rest of his career.

It’s hard to gauge exactly what the Giants will do with Manning come next season, but with Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert announcing he’s returning for another season, it may make their decision a little bit easier.

Herbert was the main guy the Giants had their eyes on, and they had multiple scouts in Oregon throughout the season scouting him out.  Now that he’s out of the picture, at least for next season, do the Giants try and stretch for now top quarterback prospect Dwayne Haskins?  Haskins has a lot of tools, but he may not be the right fit for the Giants.

There aren’t many intriguing options outside of Manning for next season.  The top free agent next season would be Teddy Bridgewater, who has been backing up Drew Brees in New Orleans after being traded from the New York Jets.  The Giants could make a trade, but probably the most realistic quarterback they could get is Derek Carr from Oakland.  Do they want to take a chance on a quarterback who is also talented but has completely lost his confidence?

It’s a hard question to ask, but in my opinion they really need to do something.  Kyle Lauletta may not be the answer but they at least need to give him a chance.  They’re never going to know what they have until they get him in some live game action.  He’s made mistakes but he’s still their draft pick so a meaningless game in January could mean his first game action against a Cowboys team that’s already locked the NFC East up.

It may not be the last of Eli Manning, but it may be the last of him in the blue and white.  He has been the consummate pro, a two time Super Bowl MVP and a future Hall of Famer.  For all of his shortcomings, he is still the greatest quarterback in Giants’ history and will go down in the history books favorably.  However, the longer he plays with a diminishing skillset, the more sour the taste will be in Giants’ fans mouths.