Commanders Draft Rumors: Washington Trading No. 2 Pick to Giants?
The Washington Commanders is rebuilding its roster under the guidance of new head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters. So, what will they decide to do with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft?
Some people argue that the Commanders should trade the pick to acquire more draft capital for the new regime. One team that could be interested in trading up is Washington’s divisional rival, the New York Giants, but what would that take?
What would it take for the COmmanders to trade the No. 2 overall pick to the New York Giants?
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In hindsight, the Giants seem to regret extending quarterback Daniel Jones' four-year contract after his rookie deal, which is worth an average of $40 million a year. In Jones’ first year with Brian Daboll as his head coach, he led the team to the playoffs, but just one year later, Danny Dimes wasn’t even the most popular quarterback on the roster as New York embraced rookie backup Tommy DeVito.
Daboll went from being a beloved coach in the city to having his job called for after the team lost in the Divisional round of the playoffs when there were no expectations for the team to only winning six games the following season after inspiring hope.
New York has reportedly decided to get a new quarterback despite having three more years with Jones under contract. It’s come out that the Giants are high on both North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels but favor Maye at the moment.
If New York wants to bring Maye to the Big Apple, it would essentially require the team to trade with Washington, which has also been linked to the quarterback in a draft that’s expected to start with three signal callers being taken.
Would the Commanders trade its potential face of the franchise to a rival, though? The answer, as with any trade, is often yes, but the price it’d take would likely be so astronomical that the Giants refuse to pull the trigger on the deal.
Very rarely do trades happen within the same division. In 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 12 overall) and Dallas Cowboys (No. 10 overall) swapped first-rounders so Philly could get ahead of New York and take wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Moving up those two spots cost the Eagles a third-rounder, but the cost would be much more steep for the Giants to move from the No. 6 pick to the No. 2 that the Commanders hold.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is considered a generational talent, so in most years, Maye would still likely be the No. 1 overall pick. For a franchise like Washington that lacks a proven quarterback, one would have to imagine that they value Maye like a No. 1 overall pick, especially in a trade with a division rival like New York.
Last year, the Chicago Bears moved up from No. 9 overall. Chicago gave the Carolina Panthers its 2023 first-rounder (No. 9), 2023 second-rounder (No. 61), 2024 first-round pick (No. 1 overall), 2025 second-rounder, and Pro Bowl-caliber No. 1 receiver D.J. Moore at just 25 years old.
For the Giants to move up to No. 2, it seems safe to assume that it would have to send the No. 6 pick in this year's draft, its second-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks (No. 47), its 2025 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick. New York's picks are earlier than Carolina's were, and because it isn't the No. 1 pick, let's assume that the team isn't willing to part with any players.
Should the Giants offer two firsts and two seconds to move up four spots, the Commanders should accept it because look at how well it paid off for the Bears, who now own the No. 1 overall pick, got a starting offensive tackle, and a true No. 1 receiver with more draft capital still headed its way.
Although unlikely, a trade between Washington and New York could be one of the most interesting moves on draft night and shouldn't be entirely ruled out.
