Eagles
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts admitted this week he wasn’t going to be 100 percent from his shoulder injury. But whatever percent he was happened to be more than enough to take care of the Giants, with Hurts tossing two touchdowns and running for another. Afterward, Eagles HC Nick Sirianni could not contain his praise.
“To have him out there is like — I know this is high praise, but to have him out there is like having, I shouldn’t even go there, it’s like having Michael Jordan out there,” Sirianni said via NFL Media’s Coral Smith. “He’s your leader. He’s your guy. Hopefully that’s the biggest respect I can pay to him comparing his ability to being on the field to a Michael Jordan type. This guy leads. He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He’s as tough as they come. Yeah, I mean, to me, nobody has played any better football than him this year.”
Giants
A season that defied all expectations for the Giants ended with a thud, as New York was clobbered 38-7 in the divisional round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Now attention turns to a pivotal offseason, with the future of two key players up in the air. Both Giants QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley are pending free agents. Other reports have indicated the Giants want both back but they still have to negotiate. Perhaps that’s why Jones didn’t sound definitive when asked about his future after the game.
“Like I said, we will cross that bridge when we get there. I really enjoyed playing here,” Jones said via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. “I appreciate all of those guys in the locker room. It is a special group of guys and I have really enjoyed being a part of it. We will figure out where that goes, but I have nothing but love and respect for this organization and the group of guys in the locker room.”
Giants HC Brian Daboll was similarly circumspect.
“All these conversations, we’re going to have those. We have a long offseason. There is a time and place to have all those conversations and tonight’s not it,” Daboll said via Pro Football Talk.
In contrast, Barkley acknowledged the uncertainty this offseason while still clearly expressing he wants to be a “Giant for life.”
“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions. I’ve been vocal about how I feel and where I want to be,” he said via Raanan. “That’s outside of my control. I wanted to show the Giants, show them that the guy that they drafted is still here. I hope I did that. Everyone knows I would love to be a Giant for life. But I really can’t give a 100% answer. It’s out of my control. Sometime this week, I’ll get a conversation with my agent Kim [Miale] and see what’s up.”
Leonard Williams
Giants DL Leonard Williams gave an update on his future with the team following their loss to the Eagles in the playoffs.
“It’s something I haven’t thought about yet, so it’s hard to answer right away,” Williams said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I’m considering all possibilities. . . . I try to let things like that play out. I believe the plan is the plan and things are going to work out the way they work out. I did my best this year. I fought through injuries and played my hardest. I’m sure I’ll end up somewhere, if not here. I want to play as long as possible.”
- Williams says he would “consider” taking a pay cut to remain with the Giants: “I want to play with Dex (Lawrence) as long as possible.” (Connor Hughes)
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