The 2024 season for the New York Giants was plagued by the backfire of signing quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million extension, with $92 million being guaranteed back in 2023. Jones was released by New York upon his request on Nov. 23, ending his tenure with the Giants. They will have the 12th-most salary cap in football, with $47.1 million, prior to any moves.
General manager and head coach pairing Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll enter an offseason that must see major improvements or they might be shown the door after the 2025 season. The biggest question for them will be figuring out who will be their quarterback.
Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston has been a serviceable backup since his tenure with the team that drafted him, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ended after the 2019 season. The 31-year-old spent last season in Cleveland as the Browns backup quarterback, before being named the starter after DeShaun Watson suffered a season-ending Grade 3 Achilles tendon tear during the team’s Week 7 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Winston has shown interest in becoming the new quarterback for the Giants, and would be a solid option as a one-year stop-gap quarterback.
2024 stats: 12 GP | 2,121 YDS | 13 TD | 12 INT | 61.1% COMP | 55.6 QBR
Justin Fields
Justin Fields spent the 2024 season as the supposed-to-be backup for veteran quarterback Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh, but a calf injury he suffered just before the start of training camp allowed Fields a run as the starter for the first six weeks.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made the change to Wilson after he was healthy, but still used Fields in some packages to use his rushing ability. The 25-year-old dual-threat spent the first three seasons with the Chicago Bears, but subpar rosters and below average coaching may have led to his exit. Fields has the chance, with the right coaching, to develop and become a franchise quarterback for the Giants.
2024 stats: 6 GS | 5 TD | 1 INT | 231 RUSH YDS | 5 RTD | 1 FL | 66.25% COMP
J.J. McCarthy
Consider this a substantial long-shot. The Minnesota Vikings took Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the full intention of him being their franchise quarterback. McCarthy tore his right meniscus on Aug. 10, sidelining him for the entirety of his rookie season.
In came Sam Darnold, and he took the league by storm, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, 12 interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record. Minnesota has a tough decision to make, but one that could benefit the Giants. If they go with Darnold long-term, McCarthy might be on the trade block, giving New York another option at quarterback and one they can turn into their franchise guy.
From a logical standpoint, though, Darnold’s failure in Week 18 and in the Wild Card Round creates major question marks for him moving forward. For a free agent looking for a multi-year deal as a starter, would the Vikings want to commit to him? It could be a major mistake, especially if the 2024 season was nothing more than an anomaly.
The decision would be all the more puzzling if they also decided to move on from McCarthy after committing top-tier draft capital to acquire him, and then never giving him an opportunity to see a regular-season snap.
2024 stats: N/A
Aaron Rodgers
If the Giants get the opportunity to draft a young quarterback with their No. 3 overall selection, who better to sit behind and learn from than future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers? Rodgers is currently the quarterback of the Jets, but their new regime has yet to decide his future. He struggled in 2024 and GM Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn might want to bring in their own guy to build around. If they do and Rodgers is willing to be a mentor, the Giants could be the perfect fit.
2024 stats: 17 GP | 3,897 YDS | 28 TD | 11 INT | 63% COMP | 48.1 QBR
Joe Milton III
The New England Patriots may consider trading quarterback Joe Milton, who would be considered one of the next up-and-coming quarterbacks who put solid performances on tape, even though it’s a small sample size.
Milton has only made one regular season appearance, but he completed 75.9% of his passes for 214 yards, one touchdown and zero turnovers. The 24-year-old added 16 yards on the ground on 10 attempts, one of which crossed the goal line. Milton also had some success in the preseason, but New England believes in 2024 first-round selection Drake Maye.
