New York Giants Combine Takeaways: All About the Quarterback

Some thoughts from the Giants' week at the combine specific to the quarterback dilemma.

After being spurned by Matthew Stafford, the New York Giants brass will need to regroup and figure out what to do about getting a veteran quarterback in here. / Art Stapleton/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The NFL Combine is nearing its end, and whether the New York Giants are any closer to having a resolution regarding what general manager Joe Schoen called “the most important position on a team” appears to be no closer than when they first landed in Indianapolis.

The following are some thoughts I have about the developments or lack thereof that emerged from the week in Indianapolis.

Aaron Rodgers? C’mon Man!

I don’t believe for a minute that soon-to-be former Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has replaced Matthew Stafford as the top option for the Giants’ veteran quarterback. Such a move is akin to a rebound romance, and those rarely work out.

I don’t dispute the reports of someone acting on behalf of Rodgers doing due diligence to see if the Giants might be interested.

However, last I checked, Rodgers, who’s expected to be released by the Jets this month, is still under contract and was not, as far as I know, given permission to start reaching out to other teams about his next job.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly has an interest in the Giants. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The upside to the Giants getting Rodgers is that he wouldn’t cost the Giants trade assets nor command a contract north of $50 million APY as Stafford was reported to have sought. 

But there are more cons to a Giants-Rodgers union, starting with his durability of the last two years, his decline in production despite having a supporting cast that consisted of some of his hand-picked buddies, and his tendency to stir the pot with his words and actions

This isn’t to say the Giants have dropped Rodgers off their list, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a last-resort option for them. 

Does it make sense for the Giants to think about trading with the Titans to acquire Cam Ward (shown) or Shedeur Sanders? / Lucas Boland / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Trade Winds

I’m still not 100% convinced the Giants will trade up to the top spot to land one of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. The sense I got is that the team will wait and see what they can get regarding a quarterback during free agency. 

If they get a veteran they can live with for a year or two, I think the Giants will look to the next quarterback tier, where Jaxson Dart, Kyle McCord, Jalen Milroe, and Will Howard might be sitting on Day 2.

Although the Giants were all set to trade assets for Matthew Stafford, the sense I get is that Ward (whom my gut is telling me might be slightly ahead of Sanders at this point), I can’t see how it makes sense to offer a similar package of picks for a quarterback that doesn’t have the resume of a Stafford.

Remember, team owner John Mara gave Giants general manager Joe Schoena and head coach Brian Daboll an indirect ultimatum to start moving this rebuild in the right direction because his patience was running out. 

Could the Giants make a trade? Sure, but the Titans hold the leverage here to where if they don’t get what they want from a prospective trade partner–and I wouldn’t be shocked if they wanted two first-round picks–they’ll just make the pick. 

Another reason I’m not convinced right now that the Giants will trade up is because while they were willing to send over assets for Stafford, I don’t think they would surrender a small king’s ransom for either Ward or Sanders. 

According to the draft analysts I’ve spoken to on the Locked On Giants podcast, they would have been projected behind Caleb Wiliams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye, who went one through three last year.

I think it will come down to whether the Giants stay at No. 3 and take the best available (and my hunch is that the "best available" will be a defensive player) or move down.

If Ward and/or Sanders are still on the board, they might see if the Raiders, who, according to our colleague over at Las Vegas Raiders On SI made note of the personal connection between Sanders and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady,  might be interested in moving up and surrendering an extra first-round pick.

The Giants had a brief flirtation with Russell Wilson last offseason. Would they consider revisiting with him again? / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

So Who Makes the Most Sense as the Bridge?

I can’t help but shake the feeling the Giants will turn to Russell Wilson for their bridge needs. According to NFL insider Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, the Steelers plan to roll with Justin Fields at quarterback in 2025 and will not be branding backward to re-sign Wilson.

Remember, the Giants and Wilson met last offseason about a possible union. That meeting ended when Wilson, who wanted a chance to start for a team, was told that Daniel Jones would be the Giants’ starter once he was cleared from his ACL injury rehab.

This time around, Wilson, who I think would probably get a deal structured similar to what Tyrod Taylor and Drew Lock got from the Giants, would have a much better chance of being the Giants' starting quarterback, regardless of whether they draft a rookie on Day 1 or Day 2. 

The plan for the future, as was the case last year, had the Giants been able to trade up to get a quarterback, is to let a veteran take the reins to start the season and let the rookie acclimate and develop rather than throwing him into the mix from Day 1.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Giants have the toughest schedule of opponents in 2025. Those teams have combined for a .574 winning percentage.

The Giants' opponents include the AFC West and NFC North, each division having sent three teams apiece to the playoffs, and of course, the NFC East, which sent the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and the Commanders to the postseason.

Because of that schedule of opponents, it would probably behoove the Giants to let a veteran start the season regardless of who they might draft at the position, again because of the indirect ultimatum issued by co-owner John Mara for the team to start winning games.

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