The Giants now have their quarterback room assembled, adding Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart to join Tommy DeVito. This is the first room assembled by the current regime, which inherited Daniel Jones and stuck with the Dave Gettleman draftee for three years.
A Winston-Wilson pairing to join Dart did not check in as the Giants’ preference, as the team aggressively pursued Matthew Stafford and extended an offer to Aaron Rodgers. Stafford regrouped with the Rams, spurning Giants and Raiders proposals, while Rodgers’ Vikings preference became clear. The Giants may well have sat third in Rodgers’ rankings, as he met with the Steelers on a visit four days before the Giants agreed to terms with Wilson.
Rodgers held a private discussions with Brian Daboll, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, who adds some of the available quarterbacks were not onboard with joining a Giants team viewed as one that could then use a high draft choice on the position. Based on how the Steelers proceeded in the draft, Rodgers could certainly be assumed as a player who fits that description. While the increasingly outspoken QB said during a Pat McAfee Show offseason interview he would not object to a team doing what it needed to do in the draft, Pittsburgh not choosing a passer until Round 6 (Will Howard) proves telling.
The Giants made their move much earlier, trading up for Jaxson Dart without using a future first- or second-round pick to do so. New York, which could not convince New England to accept its 2024 trade-up proposal (aimed at acquiring Drake Maye) or Tennessee to sign off on a Cam Ward-geared pursuit this year, used No. 34 overall and 2025 and ’26 third-rounders to move up for Dart.
Stafford was briefly available, and Rodgers continues to hold off on a Steelers signing. It is not known if the Giants engaged with the Seahawks on Geno Smith, but they did look closely at a Sam Darnold pursuit. PFR’s No. 1 2025 free agent, Darnold was believed to be high on the Giants’ QB list in March. Coming off a bounce-back season with the Vikings, Darnold carried tremendous value due to his 2024 form and age. The 2018 Jets draftee will not turn 28 until June, and after he had signed on to be a bridge QB in Minnesota last year, a 35-touchdown pass season gave him more leverage on the market this year. It would thus be unsurprising if Darnold did not strongly consider a Giants team that had also been closely tied to a QB draft move for months.
Darnold…