If the NFL Draft were a game show and the prizes were Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabors and Roma Odunze standing behind three doors, the audience would yell three different numbers.
The Giants and other teams looking to take a No. 1 receiver in the first round appear to be faced with a can’t-win proposition: choose between Harrison’s route running, Nabers’ speed, and Odunze’s physicality. is.
Or do you want a game show host to chime in and try out the mystery behind Door No. 4?
Draft a quarterback and look for your next game-breaking receiver on the trade market.
That may sound risky, but it’s not a bad option, especially considering the Giants were looking for a potential replacement for Odell Beckham Jr. during a five-year gap.
Elite receivers are traded more often than stars at any other NFL position, with Stefon Diggs being traded from the Bills to the Texans last week.
Since March 2019, there have been 16 trades for receivers who gained at least 1,000 yards in the past two seasons in exchange for draft capital, with more likely in the next two weeks. .
Receivers are valued as a valuable position in the modern NFL, so why do trades like this keep happening?
Here’s a look at the four themes and who could be available if the Giants go down that path.
1. Contract dispute
Arguably the three best receivers traded during that period, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and AJ Brown, were all stuck in negotiation deadlocks.
As part of each trade, Adams (5 years, $141.25 million), Hill (4 years, $120 million), and Brown (4 years, $100 million) agreed to immediate contract extensions with their new teams. .
All three still receive first-round draft picks, and two of the three receive more picks in return.
Julio Jones strained his relationship with the Falcons by seeking a contract adjustment after three straight seasons and ultimately requested a trade with three years left on his contract.
2. Flawed relationships
Ever since Terrell Owens made selfish behavior seem cool, “diva” has become a term applied to people on the receiving end.
In some cases, the shoes may fit.
Just as Beckham got ticketed out of New York for criticizing Eli Manning, Diggs took too many shots against Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
For Diggs, it was deja vu. Diggs left Minnesota four years ago after missing meetings and practices and subtly jabbing quarterback Kirk Cousins.
There are other ways to express dissatisfaction. Brown was unhappy with his role in a run-first offense and requested a trade from the Ravens, Brandin Cooks was unhappy with the Texans’ rebuild, and Antonio Brown began tearing apart the Steelers after being benched. Ta. For the missing practice.
Brown’s trade to the Raiders included a three-year, $50.1 million contract extension, but after a drama-filled training camp, he was released from his contract without appearing in a game.
Then-Texans head coach Bill O’Brien won a power struggle with DeAndre Hopkins and successfully traded him for peanuts, but Hopkins’ lack of productivity only accelerated O’Brien’s dismissal. Ta.
3. Salary cap hell
Chargers trade Keenan Allen for $1 (4th round pick) in best year of his career as he refuses to take a pay cut or restructure to bail him out in a rebuilding pinch ($21 million over the cap) did.
The Cowboys set aside $20 million to reallocate to other positions after making Amari Cooper expendable and prioritizing a receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb (smart) and Michael Gallup (which backfired).
Cooks, a six-time 1,000-yard receiver who has mysteriously been traded four times in his 10-year career, freed up cap space to make way for rising Cooper Kupp and has post-trade draft assets. He was traded from the Rams to the Texans to fill the gap. Also for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
4. Extenuating circumstances
Calvin Ridley was traded to the Falcons while serving a one-year gambling suspension, and DJ Moore joined the Panthers in a big package for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
So who’s next?
The NFL’s most productive receiver over the past three seasons claims the Vikings want to give Justin Jefferson a record-breaking extension but don’t have an attractive quarterback plan in place. I am stuck because of this.
Bengals’ Tee Higgins (franchise tag) requests trade, 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk (fifth-year option) uses social media emojis to indicate he disagrees with team’s approach to negotiations There is.
If both teams are more committed to receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Deebo Samuel, respectively, and wary of losing their No. 2 option in 2025 free agency, they could be traded before the 2024 draft. may be carried out.
ESPN draft analyst and former NFL front office staffer Field Yates said Aiyuk could be traded to command a “slow first, fast second.”
He’s more valuable than Diggs because he’s younger.
Two years after trading Cooper, the Cowboys still haven’t re-signed Lamb, who told TMZ he’ll be “in Dallas” in 2024 despite no long-term security. Told.
Chase, the Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle and the Eagles’ DeVonta Smith — all top-10 picks in 2021 who have gained at least 900 yards in their first three seasons — received extensions for the first time this offseason. Entitled and potentially bullish. Next offseason.
If the Giants draft a quarterback over Harrison, Nabors, or Odunze in two weeks and sign a cost-controlled rookie contract to replace the salary-cap albatross of Daniel Jones in 2025, they could He should be considered as a player to find a number one receiver. -How to age.
