Teammates Malik Nabers and Isaiah Simmons walked into a jewelry store and stumbled into maybe the Giants’ next gem.
Shedeur Sanders, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was sitting in a New York City business Friday night when Nabers and Simmons made a stop on their Christmas shopping spree.
One thing led to another, and the football world was gifted the viral video tease of Sanders throwing passes to Nabers on the street.
“I think he’s a guy who can come here and really transform things,” Simmons said Sunday after the Giants lost, 35-14, to the Ravens to fall to 2-12 on the season. “Anywhere he goes, I think he’s going to be a very, very valuable piece. Kind of like a Jayden Daniels effect. You see what Jayden’s done [with the Commanders]. I could see something like that happening with Shedeur as well — wherever he ends up.”
That comparison must be music to the ears of Nabers, who had 10 catches for 82 yards and an acrobatic touchdown Sunday from Tim Boyle.
Whereas Boyle — who played the entire second half in place of an injured Tommy DeVito — is the Giants’ fourth quarterback during this miserable season, Daniels is Nabers’ former LSU teammate and an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Suffice it to say that Nabers’ pursuit of 100 catches and 1,000 yards as a rookie is just the tip of the iceberg on what he could accomplish if the Giants land a franchise quarterback — be it Sanders or someone else — in the near future.
The Giants have the best odds of securing the No. 1 pick in the draft as they ride a nine-game losing streak, tying a franchise record, that could rise as high as 12 this season.
“I don’t care who you put with Malik,” Simmons said, “he’s going to do what he does. You see how many yards he has and how many different people have thrown him the ball this year. To me, it’s pretty impressive. We all see how things have been going, so I think that’s just a true testament of Malik.”
Nabers declined Sunday to talk about his impromptu meet-up with Sanders, preferring to keep his focus on the game.
He previously called Shedeur an “amazing quarterback” and said that they met as rivals in a football camp hosted years ago by Hall of Famer Deion Sanders (Shedeur’s dad) but haven’t maintained a relationship.
Friday looked like the start of one when Sanders was in town to support Colorado teammate Travis Hunter, who was awarded the Heisman Trophy.
The jewelry store — popular among athletes — had a football on display.
Whether it was the same football bearing a Giants logo that Sanders was holding in a separate video circulating on social media remains unclear.
Simmons, who made the biggest play of the Giants’ most recent victory when he blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown against the Seahawks, started Sunday for the first time this season.
As a nickel cornerback, former first-round draft pick and Butkus Award winner as college football’s best defensive player, Simmons knows good quarterbacking.
“I think Shedeur is an elite quarterback,” Simmons said. “We all see what he can do. I think whatever team he goes to, he can bring a lot. He’s just like a really knowledgeable guy, which you expect when his dad is one of the best to do it. You can tell he’s got everything he needs to be a pro.”
