There’s no question that the New York Giants’ top priority this offseason is finding their starting quarterback.
Co-owner John Mara, general manager Joe Schon and head coach Brian Daboll all mentioned the need for a quarterback in their exit interviews with the media after the season.
The Giants hold the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but their top two quarterbacks (Colorado’s Shadour Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward) could be out by the deadline. Therefore, it is not guaranteed.
They currently have zero players under contract at the quarterback position for next season and need to be busy finding viable options there.
Schoen mentioned retaining exclusive rights free agent Tommy DeVito and exploring the trade/free agent market for young veterans to fill the gap until a long-term answer is found.
They may look to retain Drew Lock and Tim Boyle, both of whom are on the verge of free agency, but they are backup material at best.
The market is thin no matter where you go. They could also choose to trade for Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins, but that could prove too costly.
Free agent options aren’t great either: Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Andy Dalton, Jimmy Garappolo, Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz, Jameis Winston, Cooper Rush, Mason Rudolph, Marcus Mariota, Jacoby. Brissett, Joshua Dobbs.
There’s also Russell Wilson, who will likely re-sign with the Steelers. Until the past two weeks, the really popular name was Darnold. And the Giants had to take notice.
Darnold, just 27 years old, had a monster season leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record. When the Jets drafted him in 2018, it looked like they were expected to pick him third overall.
But Darnold’s stock has taken a big hit over the past two weeks as the Vikings made back-to-back blunders in games they should have won.
In Week 18’s NFC North showdown with the Detroit Lions, Darnold folded like the Darnold of old, completing just 18 of 41 passes with no touchdowns and going 0-for-4 in the red zone, 31-9. It was a crushing defeat.
Darnold followed suit in Monday night’s wild-card game against the Los Angeles Rams. He led the Vikings to another lopsided loss, being dominated and then eliminated by a score of 27-9.
There was a brief period when some insiders thought Darold would remain with the Vikings, but that window may now be closed. Plans appear to be in place to move forward with this year’s top pick, JJ McCarthy, and potentially Daniel Jones as his backup.
Darnold will continue to attract a lot of interest, and the Giants could still be one of the teams in contention to sign him. But they have to ask themselves: Do they want a guy who might be an oddball who crumbles under pressure and supports Jones?
Either way, the Giants may have more uncertainty under center next season.
