NFL Analyst Offers Big Offseason Prediction for Giants

The onset of the NFL offseason has only just arrived for 28 of the league’s teams who either missed the playoffs or have now been eliminated, and for the New York Giants who are one of them, the next several months of important roster retooling are only just beginning.
Figuring out whether general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll would be staying in their current roles was only step one to assembling a more competitive product in East Rutherford in 2025.
Now, the organization has to dig deep to find the right mix of players who will fill and fortify the locker room for what has become a make-or-break campaign for the current leadership.
The most pressing matter is obviously the quarterback position where they only have Tommy DeVito rostered for next fall, but there are also 18 free agents bound to leave holes at other spots in the coming weeks.
While they’ve pledged to make the offseason about a building for the long term future approach, the Giants may not have the luxury to be that conservative.
Instead, they might have to approach it with a more spending heavy mindset, especially as the impending quarterback class isn’t as deep as it was a year before and there is the sour taste left from losing key pieces last offseason in Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney.
The former area is where ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak believes there is a big splash to be had by the Giants, and he predicts in an offseason roundtable the franchise will target one of either Minnesota gunslingers (Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy) for their incumbent option.
“The Giants aren't just desperate for a new quarterback -- they're also desperate for a big offseason win to wash the taste of the Saquon Barkley debacle out of their mouth,” Solak said.
“Whichever quarterback the Vikings don't commit to -- either free agent-to-be Sam Darnold or injured rookie J.J. McCarthy -- will end up in New York and be the starting quarterback in 2025.”
With so much time left until the free agent window opens and the NFL draft commences in late April, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the overall quarterback market for needy teams that needs to be ironed out in that time period to get a gauge of where the Giants will go with that premier position.
That said, it does feel a little bit like the options are starting to wane on the Giants who are stuck between a rock and hard place at No. 3 on this year’s draft board.
They sought a chance at one of the top prospects last offseason in pursuit of Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, but a few wins strung together by DeVito, and a lack of a willing trade partner in Washington or New England left them out of the mix to select one.
This time around, their fate isn’t as clear either. They are stuck behind the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns at the top two spots, both of whom reports say are weighing their options but could be interested in snagging one of the two most coveted arms in Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward out of the picture.
If that scenario becomes reality, it would behoove the Giants to get ahead of the game and sign a veteran quarterback off the street where Darnold could be one of the few quality choices available.
He’s coming off of a remarkable campaign that led Minnesota to a 14-3 record and flashed for over 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns that would be elite for a bridge guy.
However, with the way he performed in the biggest moments, including two huge games at the end of the season that saw him get sacked 11 total times and decided the Vikings postseason fate, that value is coming into question when it comes to the possibility of luring him to New York long term.
Despite being on the precipice of landing a huge contract that could have earned upwards of $40 million annually from Minnesota or another contending team, it seems the Vikings are growing more amicable to shifting over to their 2023 first-round pick in McCarthy if he is ready to go from his Achilles rehab and part with Darnold who would have to seek work elsewhere for a lesser deal than the one he was eyeing before.
That could create a concern for the Giants in bringing Darnold into their helm given they are living with a demand for competency from team ownership heading into next year and the stakes will be higher in the New York market.
Still, as Solak suggested, the Giants are in desperate need of reinforcements at signal caller and that is not something that gets resolved with just one signing.
They will need to acquire a second arm via the draft who could learn and develop behind a veteran like Darnold for one season, and some new names are being evaluated as first-round talent behind Sanders and Ward.
Those two names are still presumed to be the apples of the Giants’ front office’s eye though, and could be attainable if one of the Titans or Browns doesn’t go the direction everybody thinks they will and takes one of the irrefusable skill players like Travis Hunter or Penn state edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Sanders would be the more flashy and elite pocket passer than the battle tested option in Ward, but some draft analysts like the ones in the article opine that Ward wood match nicely in Daboll’s scheme given his incredible arm accuracy and ability to crest the big time plays with his legs as well.
A lot will go into how the Giants address the most important role on their roster this offseason and they have to get it right after getting it totally wrong with Daniel Jones for six seasons.