What Giants' Jalin Hyatt wants in a new starting quarterback

Numerous analysts believe the New York Giants will both sign a proven veteran quarterback in March and select a big-name signal-caller shortly after the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft begins on April 24. 

During a recent chat with Scott Thompson of Fox News Digital, Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt shared what he's looking for in a new QB1. 

"Whoever comes in, I just want them to be a leader. I want them to be a leader," Hyatt said. "I want them to understand when you come to the Giants, you have media you got to worry about — a lot of things that playing in New York you have to go through. Not only that, but say we’re losing, I want a quarterback to come in that knows how to be confident and comes in next game and has more confidence in himself." 

Anonymous Giants players mentioned before the end of the season that the club's owners seemingly "underestimated" running back Saquon Barkley's role as a playmaker and leader. Barkley signed with the Eagles as a free agent in March 2024 and ultimately helped Philadelphia reach Super Bowl LIX. 

As for New York's quarterback search, Kirk Cousins seemingly has taken the final meaningful snap of his Atlanta Falcons tenure. He could become available when the new league year opens on March 12 and has been linked with the Giants. 

Specifically, some believe general manager Joe Schoen will target Cousins to mentor Shedeur Sanders. Sanders is no stranger to dealing with the media attention that comes with playing in New York due to his time serving as Colorado's starter under outspoken head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur's father. 

However, ESPN's Matt Miller is among those who think the Giants will make Miami's Cam Ward the third overall pick of this year's draft if both Ward and Shedeur Sanders are available. Meanwhile, multiple draft experts have warned that no quarterback in this year's class is worth a first-round selection. 

Regardless of how Schoen handles the offseason, Giants co-owner John Mara will practically guarantee that he and head coach Brian Daboll will be fired if the team doesn't drastically improve after a 3-14 season. Hyatt suggested he's confident that Big Blue is headed in the right direction despite all that went wrong for the organization from September through January. 

"It’s going to be fun next year," Hyatt added during his comments. "I believe that we have the right guys in the room. We just got to add a couple more pieces and we’ll be all right."