Sorry, Giants fans: Trevor Lawrence can't enter the NFL draft until 2021. So the true freshman Clemson quarterback isn't swooping in with a cape on his back after his Tigers' national championship to solve Big Blue's quarterback quandary for the next 15 years.
Instead, the Giants' QB decision for 2019 and beyond is limited at the moment to incumbent starter Eli Manning, a so-so free agent class, the unknown of the trade market, and April's NFL draft, which is headlined by Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins but boasts a mediocre QB crop.
And that is why, while so many signs have pointed to this possibly being the end for Manning, there is a clear scenario developing where GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur will view Manning, 38, as their best option at starting QB for 2019.
This is not what I believe the Giants should do; this my opinion on what they may do.
It depends in part, of course, on which Shurmur is the real Shurmur when it comes to Manning: the one who yelled "Why didn't he throw it to Odell?" in Atlanta while Manning's offense was dragging the team to a 1-7 start; or the Shurmur who said "years are connected" when they started scoring and "I believe in" Manning and "absolutely" expects him to be back.
But remember, Shurmur is at his second head coaching stop and like any coach, he is not guaranteed another opportunity if this doesn't work out. So he wants a QB for the future but he, Gettleman and ownership also need and want to win in 2019 after a 5-11 year.
So whoever Gettleman and Shurmur pick to start at quarterback in 2019 presumably has to be someone familiar with Shurmur's offense, and experienced enough, to take the ball and go win games. There can be no slow rebuild, not after taking Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall last spring.
And Gettleman and Shurmur ultimately may view the final few weeks of the season as validation for why they should keep Manning and spend their resources elsewhere, even though the Giants were shut out by the Titans in Week 15 and ended their Week 16 and 17 losses on a Manning interception and a turnover on downs.
The run game, for example, was almost non-existent in those three straight losses to close the season. Removing one 68-yard run from the finale against Dallas, Barkley rushed 51 times for 115 yards in those three games, a measly 2.25 yards per carry.
But Manning, in particular in Week 16 at Indianapolis, carried the offense to 27 points and made arguably his best play and throw of the season, stepping around a pass rush to launch an eye-opening, 55-yard bomb to Sterling Shepard down the right hashes.
And Manning, whose immobility is one of his biggest weaknesses, did operate efficiently that day in Indy off frequent play-actions and naked bootlegs, perhaps in an audition for his legs.
So as long as Manning is open to reworking his contract to reduce his $23.2 million cap hit _ which would probably happen with a cosmetic extension into 2020 _ it's not crazy to see Gettleman and Shurmur sticking it out one more year with Manning even if they do draft a QB.
But it will depend on how Gettleman and Shurmur evaluate all of their options.
Here is a list of some of the other quarterbacks who could be on Big Blue's radar to start in 2019 (ages listed for how old they'll be at the start of next season):
