Giants Country

Why NFL Draft Expert's Quarterback Solution for Giants is Impractical

The Giants are doing everything they can to land a quarterback, but here's why this proposal makes no sense.

Stephen Lebitsch

December 31, 2022; Glendale, Ariz; USA; Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) throws a pass during the pregame before the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
December 31, 2022; Glendale, Ariz; USA; Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) throws a pass during the pregame before the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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With four months separating now and the onset of the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, a handful of teams, including the New York Giants, are caught in the middle of a frenzied quarterback carousel that isn’t slowing down. 

As the regular season wraps up for the beleaguered franchise, it is now engaged in a game of cat and mouse with five other teams in the top seven picks, who all most likely will need or want to grab a quarterback with their first-round selection. 

The Giants’ biggest concerns are the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns who sit in front of them in the draft order and could select Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward leaving the Giants with any of the lesser valued arms or a different positional prospect at their No. 3 pick.

However, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t think the assumed draft order is all that simple at this stage of the game. He expects things to be a lot more complicated on Sanders’ part and could even see a team like the Giants executing a trade to acquire their future quarterback. 

“Yeah I don’t believe Cleveland would be the place,” Kiper said about Sanders's preferred landing spot in April. “Sure, Deshaun Watson went there because they gave him a ton of money to go there, which ended up being a mistake…but for Cleveland, I would say the Giants are the ideal Sanders spot, and Cleveland could take Travis Hunter or go a different direction.”

The wild card in the equation, according to Kiper, is Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

The Case for McCarthy

“He’s a year younger than Ward and Sanders, he’s had a year in the NFL and sure is coming off the injury, but he’s a kid that if you look at his grades last year compared to this year with the quarterbacks, he would be the No. 1 guy ahead of Drew Allar and certainly ahead of Ward and Shedur,” Kiper said during an appearance on the UnSportsmanlike podcast.

Kiper went on to say McCarthy’s situation is still fluid in Minnesota based on how the Vikings look in the postseason behind starter Sam Darnold who led them to a 14-2 record and knocked on the door of the top seed in the NFC. 

If Darnold shines and becomes the long-term answer at the Vikings’ quarterback spot, he believes that McCarthy would be put on the open market and that New York would be the team that bounces on the opportunity, which would likely require a few picks, including their top selection in the 2025 draft. 

“The decision the Vikings make based on how Sam Darnold looks in the postseason will determine J.J. McCarthy’s fate, but that way, having a first and two-fifths for him, [the Vikings] may say ‘hey, if we can get three for picks, maybe let’s do it’ assuming Sam Darnold plays really well in the playoffs.”

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy
Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) under center against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Why the Giants are Unlikely to Make the Move

While Kiper tends to know what he is talking about when it comes to draft scenarios and a Giants franchise that is no stranger to discussing pursuing a quarterback, there are some inherent flaws, in his case for the Giants potentially trading for the 10th overall pick in last year’s class. 

The first is that the Giants, as desperate as they might be in the front office to take any route possible to land a potential franchise quarrterback, didn’t take advantage of the first opportunity that they had to draft the Michigan product in 2024.

Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll had their sights set on Drake Maye, who ultimately went to New England. Instead of taking a flier on McCarthy, whom they reportedly had the least interest in among the top quarterback prospects, they passed up on him and went the way of Malik Nabers to fortify the skilled positions and give Daniel Jones one more shot at leading the offensive huddle. 

If a sudden switch in interest, which would now cost them even more draft capital than 12 months earlier, isn’t enough, their hesitancy might have panned out. McCarthy only saw limited action in the preseason with the Vikings and then missed the regular season with a knee injury that required season-ending surgery. 

After dealing with injury problems with Jones, who missed 17 games in two of his last three seasons with the Giants, it’s hard to imagine that Schoen and Daboll want to hedge their futures on a player who might not be the same prospect many people scouted when he was healthy and won a national title at Michigan. 

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll
Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll before game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Why the Vikings Are Unlikely to Make the Move

For the Vikings side, a parting with McCarthy via trade would beat some financial penalties due to the guaranteed money on his rookie contract. Should be traded to another team, Minnesota would have to take on over $9 million in dead money charges thanks to McCarthy’s $12.714 million signing bonus, which would be almost double his salary cap number for the 2025 season.  

The draft assets, in return, would be nice, but it’s likely not something Minnesota would want to accrue if they pay Darnold a hefty new deal to become the franchise quarterback of that franchise. 

Even if the Giants land McCarthy, they’d still have to find a secondary option elsewhere if the young man isn’t fully through his recovery to be able to contribute as the starter right away. 

Still, in Kiper’s opinion, this is something to watch out for as the NFL approaches a draft where some different scenarios could unfold before the first selection is read off. 

How the Vikings perform on the biggest stage could set the stage for a seller’s market this offseason. Until proven otherwise, the Giants are predicted to be a main bidder in the auction.

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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