The Giants need a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers needs a team.
That’s the simple part of the equation.
More complicated is whether the Giants, who are fresh off of a 3-14 season, and the 41-year-old Rodgers, whom the Jets decided to move on from, are a realistic match.
But the Giants are said to be considering Rodgers after they missed out on another veteran quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who decided to stay with the Los Angeles Rams on a restructured contract.
Here are the burning questions around a possible Giants-Rodgers marriage.
Why would the Giants be interested?
Shortly after announcing general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll would be retained, co-owner John Mara made it clear he would not tolerate another season like the one the Giants just endured.
“I’m gonna have to be in a better mood this time next year than I am now,” Mara said in January.
Those comments added urgency to what was already a pivotal offseason for the Giants, who cut Daniel Jones in November and had Drew Lock on a one-year contract for 2024.
But in a draft without a blue-chip quarterback prospect — or without a guarantee the Giants’ top choice at QB will fall to them at No. 3 — the veteran quarterback market appears to be the most likely path to winning in 2025.
“I’m for taking swings at that position,” Schoen said last week. “It’s the most important position, and it’s hard to find them, so keep swinging. Keep swinging at the position until you find one.”
Despite the Jets’ 5-12 record, Rodgers finished with solid statistics — 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions — and played better as the season went on.
When Week 1 kicks off, Rodgers will be two full years removed from the Achilles tear that ended his first season with the Jets after only four offensive snaps.
Rodgers is no longer the quarterback who won four NFL MVPs and a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, but he appears to have something left.
He likely won’t require a major commitment, which would allow the Giants to draft a quarterback to sit behind Rodgers or buy them more time to find their QB of the future.
Why would Rodgers be interested?
The Rams appeared to be the ideal fit for Rodgers, a California native who would have benefitted from having head coach Sean McVay calling plays and wide receiver Puka Nacua to throw to.
But with Stafford’s situation resolved, L.A. is off the board.
That leaves Rodgers without a clear destination that can offer him both a starting job and a win-now roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs at 10-7, but they finished with five consecutive losses, including the postseason, and struggled with pass protection.
The Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders are coming off of losing seasons and appear to be more than a quarterback away from Super Bowl contention.
The Giants fit that description, too, but Rodgers already owns a home in New Jersey and seemed to embrace living in the area.
Even though he’d be changing locker rooms, Rodgers would continue playing home games at MetLife Stadium.
And the Giants can offer Rodgers a No. 1 wide receiver in Malik Nabers, an elite left tackle in Andrew Thomas and an offensive coach in Daboll.
“I know I can still play,” Rodgers said after his final game with the Jets. “I know I can still do the things I need to do to be successful.”
What are the concerns?
Throughout his two-year tenure with the Jets, Rodgers regularly made off-the-field headlines.
He was floated as a candidate to be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate in the presidential election, which Rodgers opted against.
Rodgers missed mandatory minicamp in June.
And he made weekly appearances on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” and was the focal point of a Netflix documentary series, “Enigma.”
Those sorts of attention-grabbers are something a team would need to be comfortable with if they signed Rodgers, or something the quarterback would have to be OK with giving up.
For what it is worth, new Jets general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn have not specified why they decided to part with Rodgers.
Rodgers, meanwhile, would need to align enough with the Giants’ vision to choose them over any other team that shows interest. He would joining a division featuring the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles; the Washington Commanders, who just advanced to the NFC Championship Game; and the Dallas Cowboys, who are expected to be playoff contenders.
He would likely also need to embrace helping a young quarterback, which he said he would have been willing to do with the Jets.
And Rodgers must decide that he wants to return for a 21st NFL season, which he has not publicly committed to doing.
It remains to be seen if Rodgers will attempt to team up again with wide receiver Davante Adams, whom the Jets are expected to trade or release.
What are the Giants’ other options?
Whether or not the Giants sign Rodgers, they seem intent on leaving next month’s draft with a young quarterback.
“Even if you get a young quarterback, you’d like to have a vet in the room with him to show him the ropes and how to be a pro,” Schoen said.
Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are considered the top QBs, though both could be gone when the Giants pick at No. 3. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart could be on their radar if he lasts until the second round.
The Giants also seem intent on adding a veteran quarterback beyond Tommy DeVito, who is expected to return as an exclusive rights free agent.
Russell Wilson met with the Giants last offseason and is set to be a free agent again. New York has long been considered appealing to Wilson and his wife, the pop star Ciara.
Sam Darnold is the top free-agent QB after a breakout season in which he led the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record. But Darnold, who turns 28 in June, is poised to command a hefty multi-year contract.
