Aaron Rodgers to the Giants would make a lot of sense for the four-time MVP quarterback now that his preferred L.A. Rams destination is off the board.
He bought and improved a multimillion-dollar mansion in New Jersey when the Jets acquired him in a trade back in April 2023. And he just steered himself to the Big Apple from Green Bay only two years ago.
It didn’t work out with the Jets. Now, Rodgers’ Giants outreach appears to reflect an underwhelming market for his services — which reinforces why his Rams interest in the event of a Matthew Stafford trade was so strong.
The veteran QB could conceivably exert significant influence on changes to the Giants’ offensive system, however, with John Mara preferring that Brian Daboll gives up playcalling — even though there is no indication Daboll is doing so.
And Malik Nabers is an attractive No. 1 receiver target. Mentoring a rookie quarterback like Miami’s Cam Ward, meanwhile, would not be heavy lifting for the 20-year veteran.
The only question with Rodgers’ fit — other than any contract preferences — would be whether he’d be willing to move to the bench early in his first Giants season if the organization wanted to start their rookie QB.
Signing with the Giants to play and mentor Ward for a late-season or 2026 takeover would be much different than starting a few early games and then giving the keys to the kid to become a bystander.
Maybe Rodgers wouldn’t mind that. It would just have to be a real conversation up front. Never forget: Daniel Jones replaced Eli Manning for his first rookie start in Week 3 of his rookie season in 2019.
First-round QB picks always play and almost always play early.
From the Giants’ standpoint, meanwhile, they have to know exactly what they’re looking for in this veteran quarterback signing after swinging big and striking out on Stafford.
Chasing Stafford reinforced that Joe Schoen’s and Daboll’s ‘Plan A’ was to acquire a veteran quarterback who could play and win games now, while also being senior enough to guide a developmental QB.
That is why Rodgers, the Falcons’ Kirk Cousins and the Steelers’ Russell Wilson also now seem to make more sense — if the Giants are investing a high pick in a quarterback — than the Vikings’ Sam Darnold.
Darnold, 27, is expected to be the next domino to fall that sets this year’s quarterback market. He is more the plug-and-play option in his prime coming off a career year, though, than the vet placeholder.
Maybe that explains why, as of now, the Giants and Darnold have not heated up as the most likely fit.
Schoen meant what he said: he is going to keep swinging big at quarterback this offseason. And the Giants are widely considered among the leading contenders to trade up with the Tennessee Titans for the No.1 pick to select a franchise QB such as Ward.
That doesn’t mean they’ll win that sweepstakes, with the Cleveland Browns (No. 2), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) and Jets (No. 7) all in need of a QB and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders seemingly sliding after bad reviews of his team interviews.
But the Giants are the most desperate team with technically no quarterback on their roster, so if isn’t a quarterback at No. 1 or No. 3, it could easily be a different one in the back of the first round or early second.
That brings the decision back to the present and the Giants’ imminent veteran signing.
Cousins would be a logical fit if the Falcons moved on from him, but at this time, at least, sources do not expect Atlanta to release him despite the emergence of Michael Penix Jr.
So unless something changes there, that would take Cousins out of the mix.
Rodgers can still play, though nowhere close to the level he has been known for during his decorated, future Hall of Fame career.
It seems doubtful that Rodgers would be able to recruit Davante Adams to the Giants as easily as he would have brought him West to the Rams, given the differences in the teams’ trajectories and the strength of Adams’ market compared to his.
And the Giants would have to feel comfortable with Rodgers’ off-field drama and distractions that consumed much of his two seasons with the Jets.
Then again, the Giants have a locker room largely devoid of leadership, and they boast one of the worst offenses in the NFL. So they aren’t exactly in a position to be picky about the tangential elements of a player signing when Rodgers would put an actual face on their team and a respected quarterback behind their line.
All of the Giants’ factors here seem to point more to Wilson, 36, as the most likely fit with a high rookie quarterback pick, however.
Especially considering that Wilson visited the Giants last year as a free agent and probably would have signed here if they had been able to guarantee him the starting job over Jones.
Then again, as has been evident in just the past week, the landscape in the Giants’ quarterback hunt can change quickly. Nothing is off the table when a team this desperate is chasing Plans B or C at the most important position in the sport.
WHAT ABOUT BOBBY?
There have been rumblings this offseason, from January through the NFL Combine, that some members of the Giants’ brass do not have a high opinion of linebacker and captain Bobby Okereke’s value to the roster entering the 2025 NFL season.
It’s strange to hear that, considering the explosive season Okereke had two years ago in 2023 in the previous defensive system: 149 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, 10 passes defended, four forced fumbles, 100% of snaps played.
But Okereke, 28, was utilized differently in 2024 and didn’t have nearly the same impact before back injury ended his season 12 games in.
It’s not clear whether this will lead to a release, a trade or a tough conversation about how to proceed differently in-house.
Okereke is due a $3 million roster bonus if he is on the 90-man roster on March 14, though, so the answer will come soon.
The Giants would eat $10.9 million in cap space for 2025 by cutting or trading Okereke, but they’d gain $3.5 million this year and $9 million the next, per overthecap.com.
It’s dangerous to be in the business of getting rid of good players, but that’s been the Giants M.O. lately. And sometimes a player and a team, depending on its coaching and system, just aren’t a fit.
