Best New York Giants Free Agent Options at Quarterback

After almost six mostly undesirable years as the starting signal caller of the franchise, the Daniel Jones era with the New York Giants is officially over, and the team is now back on the hunt for a new franchise signal caller.

The Giants tried to do everything they could to make things work with Jones and elevate his performance in the pocket. They invested in the offensive line with veteran players to give him more time to throw and drafted a No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers to make the winning connections he didn’t have.

However, all of those tactics continued to fail. A mix of injuries and a poor display of instincts with the football marred Jones’s tenure in the Big Apple, one that featured just one season with over 20 passing touchdowns and ended with an embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 that solidified his benching and subsequent release.

Now, the search is on to refortify the quarterback room with new faces, as backup Drew Lock is headed for free agency and is unlikely to return. The only quarterback signed to the 2025 roster is Tommy DeVito, who proved he couldn’t take over a bridge responsibility next season.

Even when the duo took over for Jones in the season's final eight weeks, the results didn’t change much. The offensive production got worse mostly, with the Giants finishing with the 31st-ranked scoring offense, averaging just above 16 points per contest.

In those last seven games, the Giants only scored more than 20 points twice, including their rare 45-33 throttling of the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17. They had the starting passer, for which Lock played in five games and DeVito in just one, cross the 200-yard passing mark just three times as they went on a five-game losing streak before landing that late win.

The Giants thought they would get a more valiant effort out of Lock, for whom they spent $5 million in last year’s free agency period to serve as the No. 2 guy behind Jones should he falter.

That partnership started shaky as he was jumped over by DeVito for the starting role in Week 12 against Tampa Bay before Lock started five of the next six and only completed six passing touchdowns compared to five interceptions.

DeVito also didn’t hold the same luster that made the fanbase fall in love with him for three games back in 2023. He produced just 31 completions on 44 pass attempts for 257 yards and didn’t record a single touchdown with his arm in three games that he saw the field.

The Giants' ownership has decreed that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll must figure out the quarterback position and get it to a level where they can compete in the 2025 season. That plan will involve securing two guys, one via free agency and the other via the draft, and discerning over the rest of the offseason which route they will take at the helm when next season opens up.

Priority Level:

Off the Chart

Best Options

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Before his end-of-season collapse that saw the Vikings lose two games, one being the NFC Wild Card game by a 58-18 margin, Sam Darnold looked like he was headed for a monstrous new deal and found a permanent home with Minnesota and head coach Kevin O’Connell.

After an ungrateful fall in the regular season finale and the first round of the postseason, the seventh-year quarterback will likely have to seek less money and a new residence this offseason. The Vikings appear ready to turn the keys over to J.J. McCarthy, their 10th overall selection in 2024, who missed his rookie season with an ACL injury.

Darnold is coming off the best season of his entire NFL career. He led the Vikings to a 14-2 record and nearly won the NFC North division. He threw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, with the first two statistics finishing within the top five players in the position.

Through working with O’Connell, Darnold became one of the best deep passers in the league, aided by good pass catchers. He led the NFL in total completions, yards, and touchdowns on throws of 20+ air yards and had a big-time throw rate of 26.5 percent.

What also helped Darnold’s outing was having a stronger offensive line protecting him than he had in his run with the New York Jets. The Vikings offensive line finished second in pass rush win rate (70%) and had one of the league’s best pass blockers in tackle Brian O’Neill.

It wasn’t until injuries started to come into play that the Vikings' offense flustered, and Darnold faced more pressure. If the Giants' front could stay healthy, and he was paired up with another offensive coach in Brian Daboll, who would have his own guy to mold and some quality pieces to throw to, it would be an ideal pairing of experience and leadership that they need in that huddle.

Jimmy Garoppolo, Los Angeles Rams

Among all the names of free agent quarterbacks that franchises like the Giants will court, it’s strange that Los Angeles Rams’ backup quarterback Jimmy Garappolo isn’t earning the same amount of consideration.

The draw around Garappolo has likely faded in recent seasons due to him serving as a secondary gunslinger for the Raiders and Rams. Still, a deeper dive into his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers would show that he can take a bad team out of the doldrums.

Following his first four seasons in New England serving as Tom Brady’s backup man, Garappolo was traded to the 49ers, whom he helped pull out from a mediocre six-win franchise in 2017 to being the runner-up in Super Bowl LIV two seasons later. He would also lead the team to the NFC championship game in the 2021 season behind his second-best passing campaign as a pro.

A pair of ACL and ankle injuries he suffered during the 2018 and 2020 campaigns prevented Garappolo from achieving more during his tenure in the Bay Area. However, he still posted some notable efforts in between those shortened years.

Those include three seasons with over 2,500 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and an average throw of at least 7.9 yards per attempt. His best season came in 2019 when he amassed nearly 4,000 aerial yards for 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions en route to the Super Bowl.

Garappolo displays the leadership and poise in the pocket to move the football downfield and create opportunities in scoring positions to win games. He knows where the sticks are to advance drives with his receivers and shows accuracy with his throws, which wasn’t much the case with Daniel Jones this past season.

Garappolo is getting up there in age, but his market value sits at around $3 million per year, according to Spotrac. Thus, he can probably be had for a very low price on a one or two-year deal and have an experienced face to mentor or back up a rookie quarterback as he once rose from the reserve role.

Draft Factors

The Giants will address the quarterback position at some point in the upcoming draft. Landing only one via free agency will not be enough for their depth chart, as they’ve lost both Daniel Jones and Drew Lock, who is about to become an undrafted free agent in March.

Even though they’ll know whether they could recruit a good veteran quarterback off the open market before the draft in April, the Giants’ focus is currently on trying to land one of the top two rookie prospects, Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, to become their franchise guy for the long term with the chance one of them falls to No. 3 if the Titans or Browns look a different way.

If both of those guys are gone before the Giants are on the clock, their choices are varied, but not all make sense. They could try to trade up a couple of spots to get one of them or trade down and choose one of the developmental arms to learn behind the veteran quarterback. The Giants also benefit from gaining extra assets for other holes on the roster.

The Giants cannot look past the quarterback position regarding the draft. They must find the next promising prospect who can be molded into a future star behind Brian Daboll and a rotation of good, skilled players. The feeling around the league is that they’ll have a shot at one of Sanders or Ward at No. 3, but anything is possible until the Giants have their guy.

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) prepares to pass the ball in the third quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Final Thoughts

The unfortunate part about the Giants' search for a quarterback is that it could have been addressed last season. As it went, the Giants won too many games to land a top prospect like Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, and they couldn’t work out a deal to move up the board to get either one of them.

Compared to that class, which was much stronger at the quarterback position, the 2025 class isn’t as high in people’s minds. There’s been an argument that Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are merely being propelled to the top of the big board because of the teams that are drafting there, desperate to rescue or reset their franchise with a new signal caller.

Yet again, the Giants find themselves in a predicament: They could miss out on both of those players if the Titans and Browns have initial thoughts about it. The front office is feeling the pressure from ownership to find the right answer at the quarterback spot, but they must be careful in their decision about which guy is really capable of leading the charge in turning things around for the organization.

If the Giants want to play their cards right, they should avoid trying to trade up to force a partnership with Sanders or Ward. We’ve seen what can happen when the gamble doesn’t work out.

If Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll aren’t full bloom in love with one of those guys but he isn’t available, they can always take a chance on one of the other prospects who have gained some positive traction lately, including Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe.

The key is not committing a reach move that will set the franchise back further and prolong a period of disgraceful football that has everyone from John Mara down to the fanbase sickened and wanting serious changes.

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