Cowboys' McClay Among Giants GM Candidates?
- Giants interim GM Kevin Abrams says he would like to see rookie Davis Webb get some playing time down the stretch (Twitter link via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). However, he added that “you can only play one quarterback at a time” and said that interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo will have the final call on the team’s QB situation.
- Several teams have failed to lure Cowboys senior director of college and pro personnel Will McClay in the past, but there is a feeling that he might be interested in the Giants‘ GM vacancy, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv writes. McClay is in charge of the Cowboys’ drafts and they have had a strong track record in recent years. McClay is among the Fritz Pollard Alliance’s recommended minority candidates for GM jobs this offseason.
Giants To Place Justin Pugh On IR
The Giants are placing Justin Pugh on injured reserve, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). The offensive lineman is being shut down due to a back injury, but the good news is that he will not have to undergo surgery. 
Pugh is due for free agency and with a new GM on the way, this could mark the end of his tenure with the Giants. The 27-year-old (28 in August) has spent his entire career with the G-Men since entering the league as the No. 19 pick of the 2013 draft.
Pugh has started in all 63 of his games for the Giants, though he has not played a full 16-man slate since his rookie season. This year, he appeared in eight games as both a left guard and a right tackle and graded out as the No. 52 guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus. In the previous two seasons, however, Pugh placed in the top 20.
The 2-11 Giants will wrap up the season with games against the Eagles, Cardinals, and Redskins.
Giants Eyeing Eliot Wolf, Nick Caserio For GM
Although former Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman is considered the favorite for the Giants’ GM position, the club also has other candidates in mind. Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf and Patriots vice president of player personnel Nick Caserio are on New York’s radar as it seeks to replace Jerry Reese, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
[RELATED: Giants To Begin GM Interviews Next Week]
Wolf, 35, has long been considered a future general manager, but never actually interviewed for an opening until this year (partially because Green Bay denied permission for him to meet with Philadelphia and Detroit in recent hiring cycles). Although he was viewed as a strong contender for the 49ers’ GM job this offseason, Wolf ultimately accepted a new contract with the Packers. He subsequently interviewed with the Colts.
Caserio, who has spent the entirety of his 17-year NFL career in New England, has been linked to other vacancies in the past, but has never shown much willingness to leave Foxborough. Since 2014, he’s declined an offer from the Dolphins and an interview from the 49ers in order to remain with the Patriots. However, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com recently indicated Caserio is “willing to listen” to general manager proposals, and noted the Giants job could hold particular interest.
Each of the candidates for the New York gig could have potential head coaches in mind: a source tells Florio that Gettleman or Wolf could attempt to hire Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, while Caserio could unsurprisingly look at Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Giants Want Eli Manning Back In 2018
Giants owner John Mara says that he wants Eli Manning to remain with the Giants in 2018. However, he’s not guaranteeing his return either. 
[RELATED: Where Will Eli Manning Play In 2018?]
“Yes,” Mara said when asked if he wants Manning to stay with the club. “But that’s a discussion that we’ll have.”
Earlier this month, there was an uproar amongst Giants fans when Manning was asked to take a backseat to Geno Smith. Days later, Mara sacked coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese while interim coach Steve Spagnuolo reinstated Manning as the starter. With that in mind, it’s hard to tell whether Mara’s endorsement of Manning is a move to appease Giants fans in the short term or if he is genuinely interested in keeping the veteran under his current contract.
Manning has two years to go on his expensive deal and he’ll turn 37 shortly after the New Year. As it stands, he’s set to earn $10.5MM in 2018 and $11.5MM in 2019. If Manning is unwilling to take a hair cut, then the Giants could cut him loose before his $5MM roster bonus comes due in March.
If the season ended today, the Giants would own the No. 2 pick in the draft. From there, the team’s next GM (whoever he may be) will find most, if not all, of the class’ top QBs available. UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, and USC’s Sam Darnold are widely considered to be this year’s top prospects at the position.
Giants Notes: GM Search, Mara
- Ernie Accorsi is helping the Giants in their search for a new GM and if history is any indicator, it won’t take long to make a hire, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. Raanan rightly notes that Accorsi drew from a small pool of candidates when he helped the Panthers (2013), Bears (2015), and Lions (2016) make their respective choices. In each case, a hire was made roughly one week after the conclusion of the regular season.
- Giants owner John Mara says the league will discuss changes to the “composition” of the Compensation Committee at the league meeting in March (Twitter link via Jim Trotter of ESPN.com). The Compensation Committee is currently comprised of six owners with Falcons owner Arthur Blank acting as the group’s leader. Up until recently, Cowboys boss Jerry Jones served as an unofficial seventh member.
Giants To Start GM Interviews Next Week
The Giants are expected to start GM interviews next week, according to Judy Battista of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, they are unlikely to name one before end of the season for fear of missing out on candidates currently with teams. 
After Jerry Reese was let go, the Giants did not rule out the possibility of signing his replacement before the end of the calendar year. However, that was always a longshot. By waiting until the offseason, the Giants will give themselves an opportunity to gauge a wider range of executives and give themselves additional time to make the right hire.
The Giants are expected to start with former Panthers GM/Giants exec Dave Gettleman and their own interim GM Kevin Abrams, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter). After that, he hears that the Giants will likely meet with two or three other candidates in early January.
Gettleman is said to be the frontrunner for the job, though Abrams will also be given a legitimate chance to be the team’s GM going forward. It sounds like former Chiefs GM John Dorsey also would have been in the mix for the job if the Browns did not pounce on him first.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/12/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Jonathan Anderson, DL Caushaud Lyons
- Waived: DB Alex Carter
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OL Korren Kirven
Houston Texans
- Waived: WR Devin Lucien
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Matt Hazel
- Waived: CB Taurean Nixon
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T Dillon Gordon
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Russell Hansbrough
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Storm Norton
- Waived: S Jack Tocho
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Ryan O’Malley, DB Tim Scott
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Jahad Thomas, QB Joel Stave
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Jalston Fowler
- Waived: CB Trovon Reed
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/17
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated to return from injured reserve: QB Jeff Driskel
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Jets‘ practice squad: OL Geoff Gray
- Waived: DE Tyrone Holmes, WR Bryce Treggs
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted to active roster: DE Isaac Rochell
New York Giants
- Signed off Chiefs‘ practice squad: OL Damien Mama
New York Jets
- Promoted to active roster: RB Akeem Judd
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB/DE Bryan Braman
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted to active roster: DT Garrison Smith
- Waived: DT Rodney Coe
- Waived from injured reserve: T Justin Senior
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted to active roster: LB Riley Bullough
- Waived: CB Deji Olatoye
NFC Notes: Webb, Niners, Skins, Packers
From benching Eli Manning for Geno Smith to the firing of head coach Ben McAdoo, there hasn’t been much stability with the Giants in recent weeks. The team does know one thing, however — rookie quarterback Davis Webb is not in the team’s plans for the foreseeable future, Newsday’s Tom Rock writes.
This should have been evident when the team didn’t tab the Cal product instead of Smith. Interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo also said there would be no change to Webb’s snaps at practice. He also added, “I’m not sure what would be gained other than if something happened to the starting quarterback that he goes in . . Is it that much more of an advantage to have him standing on the sideline as the second than there is having him standing on the sideline as a deactivated player?”
Obviously Webb is not in the plans for this season, which has led to speculation the Giants will use their rare high first-round pick next season on a quarterback like Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan does not expect a new contract with Jimmy Garoppolo to be hammered out before the end of the season, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter link). After amassing 627 passing yards in his first two starts, Garoppolo is almost assuredly the team’s answer under center for the foreseeable future. He is sure to cash in this offseason.
- Packers defensive back Davon House suffered a transverse process fracture in his back, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rappoport (Twitter link). He also noted that most players have come back from the injury in a week or two. House has started all 10 games he has played this season, registering an interception and a sack.
- Redskins linebacker Chris Carter will need surgery to repair a broken fibula in his right leg, ESPN’s John Keim reports (Twitter link). Just a few weeks after a broken fibula left running back Chris Thompson on IR, the injury comes back to bite Washington with one of its top special teams performers.
Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: CB Dominique Hatfield
New York Giants
- Cut: LB Trevor Bates