Another week of NFL free agency is winding down, and the New York Giants have yet to sign a veteran free-agent quarterback.
The team is waiting for Aaron Rodgers, their top priority, to decide whether he wants to join the Giants, sign with another team, or retire.
Reports on Wednesday indicated the Minnesota Vikings are no longer interested in Rodgers, enhancing New York’s chances of signing the 41-year-old quarterback. It’s now a two-team race between the Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers visited Pittsburgh on Friday, though no deal is reportedly imminent.
With Rodgers meeting with Steelers brass, it’s officially time for the Giants to move on from playing the waiting game with the four-time NFL MVP.
Giants could miss out on remaining veteran options
This offseason, the Giants have interviewed Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Joe Flacco, yet all left the building without contracts. While Rodgers understandably tops Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen’s wish list, they’re playing a dangerous game by not securing a capable veteran for the 2025 season.
Both Wilson and Winston would have been ideal candidates to start the season and groom the rookie quarterback the team plans to draft next month. Flacco would serve best as a mentor on the sideline and in the locker room, providing knowledge gained over his 17-year career.
Now Wilson and Winston and their agents are exploring options with other teams while the Giants await Rodgers’ decision. The team could reach back out to them, but player sentiment may have changed after feeling passed over — especially for Wilson, whom the team also brought in last year.
Though adding a future Hall of Fame quarterback to the roster is tempting, New York would benefit more from acquiring one of the best available quarterbacks now rather than risking not getting a quality veteran quarterback at all.
Aaron Rodgers follows his own timeline
Despite pressure for a quick decision, Rodgers operates on his own schedule and owes nothing to the Giants or any pursuing team, having no allegiance to them. The 41-year-old quarterback is making the final significant decision of his football career, which could come after the 2025 NFL Draft or extend into summer.
This delay could lead to the worst scenario for the Giants: being unable to trade up from the third pick while Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders go first and second in the draft. If Rodgers then retires or signs elsewhere, the team would miss both the top quarterback prospects and the veteran they’ve been waiting months to secure.
The Giants face this desperate situation because earlier plans to trade with the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford fell through when Stafford and the Rams negotiated a new deal. This explains why New York is frantically pursuing Rodgers as their top priority.
There’s a significant chance the Giants will go 0-for-2 in their pursuit of a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. They should cut their losses, stop waiting on Rodgers, and sign one of the other top free-agent quarterbacks — or risk having Tommy DeVito as their depth chart leader heading into next month’s draft.