Giants Await Quarterback Decision Clarity

At some point, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will need to decide where he wants to play next, right?

Okay, stupid question, but as the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, the two teams thought to be among the favorites to land the services of the future Hall of Famer, wait to see where he will land, Rodgers' delay in informing whichever team he is going to grace with his presence might not be a matter of Rodgers taking his sweet time to decide.

Players who have been designated as a post-June 1 transaction cannot technically be cut by their old team until the first day of the new league year, which this year is 4 p.m. on March 12, the first official day of free agency.

At that point, Rodgers can be officially cut and designated as a post-June 1 transaction for the Jets’ salary cap purposes.

In the interim, Rodgers, according to another source familiar with his situation, was granted permission by the Jets once they informed him during a meeting of their intention to go in another direction.

Therefore, Rodgers has been able to talk to other clubs, as has been reported to be the case with the Giants, whom another source tells us have a better financial offer on the table for Rodgers and the Steelers.

But until he is officially released, he cannot sign with any club, which likely means that Rodgers is taking advantage of the extra time to ensure he gets the right offer from the right team.

So who is the “right team”? SI.com’s Albert Breer, appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, said that as of Monday, the Steelers were “pretty optimistic” they’d be the choice.

💻 @AlbertBreer

With the QB spots across the #NFL drying up, what is Aaron Rodgers best option to play in 2025?#NFL #NFLFreeAgency #HereWeGo #NYGiants pic.twitter.com/JDjIrzW8LA
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 11, 2025

Breer, in trying to determine how Rodgers might be approaching the decision, noted that the veteran signal-caller might not want to go to a team that’s further away from being a competitor like the Giants because the situation might remind him too much of his short tenure with the Jets.

“I think we're all sort of beholden to our own history,” Breer said. “He took a chance a couple of years ago on going to a Jets team that hadn't won in a long time, thinking, ‘I can be the final piece and I can make a difference.’

“That is essentially what he'd be doing with the Giants, right? Like, so does he wanna do that, or does he want to go to a place that's established, that hasn't had a losing season in a generation, and that has a lot of stars that are ready to compete for a championship and have been in playoff games and a lot of 'em?”

On the flip side, Breer thought the Giants might be appealing to Rodgers because the young skill players general manager Joe Schoen has assembled might be appealing.

But what happens if the Giants don’t get Rodgers to be their veteran bridge quarterback? Breer believes that in that case, the Giants would try to make a pitch to land Russell Wilson if he’s still available and, of course, explore their options in the draft for a rookie to begin grooming as the eventual long-term starter.

“They had (Wilson) last year in for a visit. And then I think the next step would obviously be the draft,” Breer said.

It won’t be that easy given where the Giants draft, especially if the Titans and Browns, who draft ahead of the Giants, also decide they want a quarterback. In that case, the Giants could end up having to pivot to a quarterback on Day 2 from the next cluster, but even then, it’s no sure thing that who they feel is a fit will be on the board when they next go on the clock.

Giants Await Quarterback Decision Clarity

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