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Would Giants Consider a Trade with NFC East Foe to Get a Top Quarterback?

A draft trade between the Giants and Commanders is unlikely, but if given the chance to do it, should Joe Schoen take it?

There’s always talk about top quarterbacks in every draft class. This year, the consensus top three are USC’s Caleb Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. Michigan’s JJ McCarthy has also raised his draft stock since the combine and is getting top-10 pick buzz as of late. The Chicago Bears are almost certainly taking Williams as they look to restart at the quarterback position and go from there.

Up next would be the Washington Commanders. The Commanders haven’t had a stable quarterback situation in ages, but that could change as they hold the No. 2 overall pick. Many would wonder why they would even consider passing up on Maye or Daniels due to their lack of a franchise quarterback. Well, they’d need a massive haul in return to even consider trading the pick and could get just that if a team is desperate enough for one of the top prospects in this year’s draft.

It begs the question, would the Giants trade up with the Commanders? As they say, it takes two to tango in trades, and these two dance partners likely aren’t going to cooperate.

However, if the compensation is right, divisional trades aren’t off the table. The Eagles and Cowboys swapped first-rounders in the 2021 draft so they could jump the Giants and draft wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The Eagles jumped from pick No. 12 to No. 10 and only surrendered a third-rounder, so for the Giants to move up from No. 6 to No. 2 would require a larger-than-life package.

Isaiah Deanda Delgado of Commander Country explored this possibility, mentioning a package in which the Giants would probably need to send the No. 6 overall pick, No. 47 overall pick, their 2025 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick. That’s a lot of compensation in return for the No. 2 overall pick, but it's a likely price the Giants would have to pay if they wanted to go up and get their franchise quarterback.

The Giants traded picks No. 39 and 141, along with a 2025 fifth-round pick, to the Carolina Panthers to acquire pass rusher Brian Burns. General manager Joe Schoen has shown that he isn’t afraid to swing for the fences, his latest bold move being to trade for Burns and extend him to a five-year, $141 million deal. This means Schoen, who has been very active in free agency so far, has fewer assets with which to work,

While Schoen, whose Giants were not awarded any compensatory picks in this year's draft thanks to last year's free agency activity, has never been afraid to go after the players he wants, he also needs to balance self-control and keep an eye on the bigger picture in realizing that he currently has a team that is currently not one or player away from being a true competitive force.

Notwithstanding, the idea of helping the Commaders, giving up the kind of compensation package that Delgado has proposed is probably not in the team's best interest, regardless of what's at stake, especially now that Seattle has traded Sam Howell to Seattle.