As soon as news broke that Denver Broncos WR Brandon Marshall wanted out of the Mile High City, speculation began swirling as to where he would end up.
All but gone after posting a farewell message on his personal blog, Marshall has been linked to several receiver-starved teams. The Baltimore Ravens, the New York Jets, and even the Chicago Bears—where he would be reunited with ex-Broncos QB Jay Cutler—are rumored to be potential landing places.
Notice how the New York Giants, once regarded throughout the league as a team that severely needed a top-flight wideout, are absent from that list.
That's not necessarily a bad thing.
While it may seem at first glance that the Giants could use a top receiver with experience in the league, there's no need to make a trade for Marshall.
First of all, the Giants have already stockpiled a ton of young talent at wide receiver. Rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden have clicked quite well with Eli Manning throughout the Giants' OTAs. Steve Smith is primed for a breakout season, Domenik Hixon will be a threat on the offensive side of the ball as well as in the return game, and Mario Manningham and Sinorice Moss will see more playing time as they finally recover from their injuries.
Adding someone such as Brandon Marshall would inevitably create a logjam at wideout. With Eli and the current crop of receivers in sync early, it would be too much of a hassle to quickly get him on the same page as Eli.
Second, the Giants just got rid of a tall, physical wide receiver with tons of legal troubles in Plaxico Burress.
Do they really need to acquire another potential headache in Marshall?
Marshall has already felt the wrath of the all-powerful Roger Goodell in his young career, having been suspended for one game for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
He has also been arrested four times in three years, most notably on suspicion of domestic violence in March 2007. His most recent arrest on March 1, 2009 may result in a longer, more severe suspension.
To bring Marshall in would mean bringing in his troubled persona as well. After releasing Burress because of his off-field drama, it wouldn't make much sense to trade for someone who is just a drama queen, if not more of one.
Let's say Jerry Reese overlooked Marshall's flaws and wants to cram him into a crowded receiver depth chart. There would still be the tiny matter of what to give up to Denver in exchange.
The Broncos would almost certainly set a starting price similar to what Detroit got for Roy Williams—a first-round, third-round, and sixth round pick in this year's draft.
That may be too much for the Giants, who scoffed at giving up their first-round pick in April for Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin—two of the top receivers in the NFL today.
So while it may seem at first that the Giants need a proven wideout, Brandon Marshall is not what they'd be looking for if they were open to adding to their receiving corps.
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