If the New York Giants get this one roster decision wrong, it could be disastrous for the franchise moving forward.
With the roster-building season about to get underway in just a few short weeks, many will be watching what the New York Giants do to improve a team that suffered a humiliating 3-14 season in which several glaring roster holes were exposed.
No one decision looms larger than who will be the next quarterback. And while there is a growing number of mock drafts that, on any given day, have one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward projected to be that guy, landing that long-term player in this year’s draft class isn’t so straightforward.
The current core of rookie arms isn’t as highly rated as those of the 2024 class, yet they are still highly coveted by a few other teams that are high on the board with the Giants, such as the Titans, Browns, and Raiders, two of which draft right before the Giants enter the picture at No. 3.
In addition, the other wrench thrown into the situation is the loud command from the Giants’ brass to ensure a competitive product next season and end the long trend of losing, lest there be massive regime changes in the organization for the fourth time in the last decade before next offseason arrives.
General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll seemingly have their backs against the wall, and that could entice them to pull a 180-degree turn on the obvious route of entrusting the year to a rookie prospect, assuming they can and go with an experienced veteran quarterback for the immediate impact on winning games.
All things considered, the Giants seem undecided about their approach to the biggest issue of the offseason but have a delicate balance to fulfill. That is why Pro Football Focus recently dubbed “the prognosis at quarterback” the most important roster decision that the Giants will have to discern as they navigate a hopefully successful offseason.
“Through 16 weeks of the NFL season, the Giants were in the driver’s seat to pick first overall, mercifully ending their longstanding issues under center. But a wacky Week 17 win over the Colts threw a wrench in those plans, leaving New York with the third overall pick,” the analysis noted.
“As a result, the Giants could easily be shut out from both Ward and Sanders, especially given that the Titans and Browns each need quarterbacks. That could encourage New York to trade back for someone like that or bypass the position in the draft’s early rounds altogether. General manager Joe Schoen must account for that possibility in how he handles this offseason, which could be a quarterback carousel,” the analysis said.
Despite how much the Giants’ rookie gunslinger aspirations are in limbo, it’s not much more of a guarantee on the other side. The Titans and Browns may like both top-rated quarterback prospects in Sanders and Ward, but they also have other needs to address with candidates who are just as hard to pass up.
Tennessee has been the biggest noise maker in jockeying their mindset at the No. 1 pick. There have been reports of them considering moving out of the top spot to gain more draft capital, and many mocks have connected them to elite playmakers like Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter after their front office’s comments about not passing on a generational talent with their first overall opportunity.
Some even believe teams like the Raiders could try to get involved in a trade-up to steal a guy like Sanders, with whom they reportedly are intrigued. The Giants should be wary of buying too much into the smoke and mirrors that come with draft season, but it is not a homerun hot that they won’t have a chance at one of those two players.
If they do feel confident enough in one of them to come in and shine at the helm pretty quickly, then their best bet might be to pair that rookie with a veteran mentor who isn’t afraid to let there be a competition in camp or an eventual transition during the season, such as Jameis Winston, who is eager to bring any positive impact to a struggling team like the Giants.
On the other hand, if stacking those wins to save face is what threads the needle of the offseason for Schoen and Daboll, then put all their chips in the middle on the experienced veteran who can make a real difference from the jump while either selecting his successor in a later round or keeping tabs on the passing options at hand in the 2026 draft.
There have been a growing number of reports suggesting a potential exploration into a trade for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, although he hasn’t been officially made available by the franchise.
It’s more likely that the ideal candidate to meet either possibility is a guy like Winston or Justin Fields, who is a more improved dual-threat player who is admired by the Giants’ coaching staff.
In the end, the analysis has hit the nail on the head regarding how important addressing the quarterback position will be for a beleaguered Giants organization’s immediate and long-term future.
If they find the right guy for the job and surround him with winning pieces and leaders, it could have a ripple effect like that which they saw in fellow division foes like the Eagles and Commanders, the latter going from disgrace to the doorstep of making the big game.
If their choice gets messed up and ultimately fails, as Daniel Jones did, there will be no other option but to clean house again on the Schoen-Daboll regime, and it will add a couple more years to what has been a miserable period in Giants football.
Nobody wants the misery to continue. The road to avoiding a repeat of history will start with picking the right direction for the quarterback dilemma and ensuring stability at the one position that is most crucial for any team’s success.
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