Here Are Your Former Giants In Super Bowl LVIII

The New York Giants' season has been done for over three weeks now. However there are few G-Men to cheer for in Super Bowl LVIII.

As we inch towards the end of this highly entertaining NFL season, perhaps you feel indifferent about the championship matchup. It's fair for local fans to not care about the Kansas City Chiefs due to simply being tired of them. Patrick Mahomes and company have now been in the big game four of the last five years. On the other hand, the San Francisco 49ers have a long history against the Giants, beat them handily this year, and are fellow NFC-ers.

So here is an alternative. How about we root for these three individuals who have a great history with the New York Giants franchise? Though we do have a dilemma that they span both teams, we can settle on the fact of being indifferent and simply hoping for a great game.

Let's start with the biggest name, who had the biggest impact within the organization. He's a coach. You know him as Spags.

Steve Spagnuolo

Coach Spagnuolo is in the same role with the Chiefs as he was with the Giants. As the defensive coordinator, Coach Spags is still drawing up explosive defensive schemes. Regardless of his success running the admirable Chiefs defense, Spanuolo's greatest accomplishment arguable remains being the architect behind the Giants defense (2007-2008)  that conquered the perfect Patriots and won Super Bowl XLII. He had two different runs with the Giants as their DC. 2007 - 2008, and then again from 2015 - 2017. If the Chiefs win in Las Vegas, it will be Spags' fourth Super Bowl victory (third with the Chiefs).

Richie James

File this receiver with the great name under "Oh yeah, I remember him." In fact, James had a decent year with the Giants last season. Oddly enough, James was drafted by the 49ers before making his way to East Rutherford. He had 57 catches and four touchdowns for the Giants in 2022. Now you can look for #17 catching passes from #15 on the Cheifs.

Kadarius Toney

This one hurt a bit, and for numerous reasons. Toney, after two disappointing seasons with the Giants, was traded to the Chiefs in 2022. Then, he immediately won a Super Bowl. Dare I remind you, he even caught a touchdown in the Super Bowl last year vs. the Eagles. Toney has had another tumultuous season with the Chiefs this year. It is still to be determined if he will see the field on February 11. He was classified as "injured" for the previous playoff games.

Logan Ryan

On the opposing sideline, we have Logan Ryan playing defense for the 49ers. Ryan was a defensive back for the Giants (2020-2021). He was well-respected and reliable in his 31 games started for Big Blue. Moreover, in 2021, Ryan amassed his career-high in tackles when he recorded an impressive 117 on the season.

Speaking of former Giants in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, the featured image here is Steve Spagnuolo with Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce. Yes, it was an awful 2023 season for the Giants, but they have certainly produced some great football minds who are making a lasting impact. Pierce was just named the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Well, this has certainly been a nightmare season for the New York Giants so far. The harsh reality is that Daniel Jones is out for a full year with a very unfortunate knee injury. Now, we are left with pondering what the possible quarterback scenarios for the Giants could be in 2024.

2023 was expected to be a year of growth, with a playoff push seeming like a very reasonable goal. We had a revigorated Saquon Barkley, the reigning coach of the year Brian Daboll, and a now $40-million-a-year franchise guy in Daniel Jones.

To put the first half of this season in perspective, after nine games so far, the stars of the team Barkley and Jones, only played two games together. The team has been crushed with injuries. This includes the best offensive lineman on Big Blue, Andrew Thomas. Big number 78 has barely played.

It's unbelievable the difference ten weeks makes. In late August, there were NFL analysts who suggested the GMEN could challenge the Philadelphia Eagles for the top spot in the NFC East. Now, we are wondering who the quarterback will be moving forward.

Right now, we are dealing with an open wound. We are a few emotional days removed from the news that Daniel Jones tore his ACL in Las Vegas vs. the Raiders. Furthermore, the poor guy was just returning from a neck injury. However, there are serious questions as to whether or not Jones will ever wear #8 for the Giants again.

This upcoming NFL draft features one of the best quarterback classes of the past ten years. In addition, these players each have unique skill sets that differentiate themselves from their competitors. The NFL is a QB-driven league. In fact, without a solid, healthy quarterback on your roster, your chances are limited.

The only week on the upcoming schedule that looks favorable is the bye week. Two games still remain vs. the NFC champion Eagles as do road games vs. the Cowboys, the Commanders, and the Saints.

Still, there are three general scenarios the Giants could be faced with at quarterback for 2024. One of them includes Jones, one of them does not, and the third is somewhere in between. So, in no particular order, here are the three possibilities.

The front office has believed in Jones since they drafted him sixth overall in the 2019 draft. Just eight months ago, the Giants rewarded Jones with a four-year $160 million contract. That means three years are remaining. Yes, that is a big commitment to still have on your hands, but the the fact is, that is more of a short-term running back contract as opposed to a franchise quarterback. However, has Jones really had a fair chance yet? It's a question worth considering, given that Jones has yet to play with an offensive line where he doesn't have to run for his life. The Giants can very well want to give Jones another shot (with solid weapons around him). Jones will be 27-years-old in May.

On ESPN's Get Up this week, many NFL analysts suggested this could be the last season Justin Fields is the quarterback of the Chicago Bears. Fields is still on his rookie contract. Can the Giants afford both Jones and Fields? No, probably not long-term. For one year, they might be able to get creative, however. Fields could challenge Jones (once he returns) to see who is really the guy under center for Big Blue. Where this really gets interesting is that the Bears and Giants may own three of the top five picks of the 2024 NFL draft. The Bears own the Carolina Panthers' pick from the 2023 draft trade. The Bears are 3-7 and the Panthers are 1-8. The Giants also have an additional second-round pick as a result of the recent Leonard Williams trade. So, there are pieces to play with here.

Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan). That's the cream of the crop of a 2024 class that is deep and full of exceptional talent. Those four QBs may very-well be four of the first five picks in the next draft. Only the Panthers don't need one, having just taken Bryce Young first. What's even more intriguing here, is this upcoming draft class also includes guys like Bo Nix (Oregon) and Jordan Travis (Florida State) who can be available later in round one or on day two. At least one of these major talents will be there on the draft board when the Giants are on the clock come April. It will be hard to pass on any of them.