After their failed pursuit of Matthew Stafford, the Giants are “shifting their interest” to Aaron Rodgers, per The Athletic’s Diana Russini.
Rodgers has been reaching out to teams since the Jets decided to release him, including multiple calls to the Giants, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The Giants have been discussing the possibility of signing Rodgers “all week,” according to Russini.
Acquiring Rodgers would be considerably less expensive than trading for Stafford. The Giants were prepared to give up significant draft capital and give Stafford a contract exceeding $50MM per year, per SNY’s Connor Hughes. Rodgers, meanwhile, will be a free agent once the Jets formalize his release with a post-June 1 designation. He is unlikely to command a top-of-the-market salary and signing him would not require the Giants to part with any draft picks.
Rodgers is not the Giants’ “leading candidate,” according to FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacciano. The team is discussing other free agent quarterbacks, per Hughes, including Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold, and Justin Fields. The Giants had interest in Darnold last offseason, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, but he was too expensive at the time. His value has certainly risen in the last year, but so has the Giants’ need for a quarterback.
After playing for four different teams over the last five years, Darnold may be looking for a long-term situation if he hits free agency. That could clash with the Giants’ vision for the position. They would prefer to pair a veteran signing with a top rookie from this year’s draft, according to Hughes.
Rodgers might fit better into those plans. The team views the four-time MVP as a “viable option” for one season, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. The Giants could then use a first-round pick on a quarterback prospect who would sit behind Rodgers as a rookie before taking over in 2026.
That rookie would likely be either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, who are generally considered the top two quarterbacks in the 2025 draft class. The Giants currently hold the No. 3 pick, but are exploring a trade with the Titans to acquire the first overall pick that they would then use on their preferred quarterback prospect.
Clearly, the Giants’ pursuit of a new quarterback remains fluid. Stafford was the first domino to fall, and other signings and trades will certainly impact the team’s plans. They will have to balance the financial investment of a free agent signing with the draft capital required to secure their top choice in April. The Falcons were criticized last year for signing Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in free agency and using the No. 8 pick on Michael Penix a month later. That has left Atlanta at an impasse with Cousins after moving to Penix during the season, something Schoen will likely consider as he navigates the quarterback market in free agency and the draft.
Aaron Rodgers? Just don’t NYG!
If the plan is to draft someone like Travis Hunter and tank for Arch Manning, sign me up for one year of Rodgers.
If the idea is to draft Sanders or Ward and have Rodgers mentor them, then yikes.
Arch manning will play 2 years as starter for Texas
Rodgers as a member of the rebuilding NY Giants with no talent on that team. Lmao
I’m wondering why Rodger’s would even want to play for the Giants. Unless he has no other options.
Getting a lunatic to “mentor” a mediocre QB reach doesn’t seem like it would be the best rebuilding plan I’ve ever heard.
lmao
Let’s just jump ahead to the update where the Giants start calling every Manning listed in the phone book.
If they sign Rodgers, after 70 years, I’ll change allegiances and become a Bills’ fan. DON’T DO IT!!!!
Relax. It’s just a year or two. Everything’s OK. I know it seems like a long time, but tied for 3rd most titles in the last 20 years.
Surviving a rough patch is what makes the good times special. Ask a REAL Bills fan.
no not Rodgers! organization cannot do anything else that will magnify what they have already let happen
Eww
Getting Rodgers takes pressure off the rest of the team and it’s great for me since I like WFAN
Will they balk if Rodgers demands a release clause in case he is offered a cabinet position?
Rodgers to Nabers can possibly win at least 7 games. To Wandale too. Draft a zippy RB and build an O Line. Crazier things have happened