INDIANAPOLIS — Joe Schoen would not necessarily be throwing a Hail Mary if he traded for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and drafted Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado corner Travis Hunter with the Giants’ No. 3 overall pick.
The GM might just be assembling the best possible team he could.
Understand this: the Giants need everything, not just quarterbacks. They need a corner, a wide receiver, a safety, more offensive linemen, more defensive linemen, another running back — name it.
So what Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll need above all is to make some layups, to hit some singles, to acquire contributing players who immediately make their roster more competent both now and in the future.
Schoen absolutely must look out for the franchise’s long-term interest, which means not parting with that No. 3 pick in any potential trade. But he and Daboll also have to put a competitive product on the field in Week 1 of this upcoming 2025 season.
Would Schoen be doing that if he assembled a quarterback room of Derek Carr and Shedeur Sanders or Russell Wilson and Cam Ward?
Maybe, but both of those hypotheticals are major rolls of the dice for Daboll to even reach Week 8 of his fourth season as coach.
The optimal outcome obviously would be if Schoen drafted Sanders or Ward and the rookie QB became a franchise star like Jayden Daniels just did with the Washington Commanders. But talents like Daniels and the Houston Texans’ C.J Stroud are far rarer than their back-to-back selections at No. 2 overall in 2023 and 2024 suggest.
Solving the Giants’ 2025 quarterback problem through a veteran trade for Stafford or a free agent signing like Kirk Cousins if Atlanta releases him, on the other hand, could save Schoen from acting out of desperation on draft day — and allow him to simply take the best, every-down player on the board.
If it were Carter, it would help their pass rush.
If it were Hunter, it could help both their offense and defense, given the Heisman Trophy winner’s two-way abilities.
Then the Giants could take the field in 2025 with more cost-controlled young talent, augmented by the rest of Schoen’s draft and whatever signings he makes with some refreshing salary cap space.
The latest on Stafford is that the quarterback and his agent are scheduled to meet with the Rams this week in Indianapolis to try to hammer out a contract extension, Colin Cowherd reported on The Volume.
It’s possible he’ll just stay in L.A., which would take the best quarterback option off the Giants’ board. Until the Rams rule Stafford out as an option, however, he must be considered a potential Giants target given their immediate need to field a respectable team.
Daboll’s team doesn’t have enough leaders, let alone a quarterback. Stafford’s pedigree with a new contract would put a better face on a disgraced franchise that currently boasts no hope for the present or future.
It’s unfortunate that there isn’t a slam dunk offensive lineman who is clearly worthy of a top five NFL Draft selection this year, too. Because that would be the ideal one-two punch for Schoen, Daboll and the Giants to pair with Stafford.
The most dangerous risk of a Stafford trade, after all, isn’t the draft capital or money it would cost. It would be the problem of pass protection for a 37-year-old quarterback who is not especially mobile with a subpar line and a less creative offensive scheme that puts it all on the QB.
In the end, then, it’s possible Schoen could just end up drafting Sanders or Ward to pair with a less talented and less expensive veteran option, with Jameis Winston and Justin Fields two other options in that class.
Schoen and the Giants spent an inordinate amount of time in Boulder, Colo., this past season scouting Deion Sanders’ top prospects. It’s no secret they appear to be enamored with Prime Time’s son.
Most well-reasoned swings at the sport’s most important position in the NFL Draft are justified. And while Daboll’s seat appears scalding hot, Giants co-owner John Mara seemed to articulate more patience and satisfaction with his GM’s operation than the coach’s on Black Monday.
So Schoen might have the time to watch a young quarterback go through growing pains, even if Daboll does not.
Regardless, the Giants’ fourth-year GM needs to make a big splash at quarterback one way or another here.
As he steps to the podium Tuesday morning in Indianapolis at the 2025 NFL Combine, however, it is currently possible for him to make a quarterback play in the veteran market that may allow him to hit a home run on Carter or Hunter on draft day.
And until that is no longer a possibility, Schoen owes it to the Giants to explore it. Not out of desperation. Simply because it’s the logical way to assemble the better team.
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