In 2004, the New York Football Giants trudged to a lowly 4-12-0 record and head coach Jim Fassel was fired. QB Kerry Collins was released and the team signed former league MVP Kurt Warner to replace him. Although Warner was signed to fill the void of Collins, Giants GM Ernie Accorsi wanted a young franchise quarterback.
The horrific season placed the Giants with the fourth overall selection in the annual college draft. The good news was that this draft there were several college QBs who qualified as franchise players. Oakland was picking second and had Rich Gannon entrenched behind center.