New York Giants free agency primer: 5 quarterbacks to consider

The New York Giants desperately need a quarterback. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have entered Year 4, and the roster has zero quarterbacks. Schoen made a massive investment in Daniel Jones and released him less than two years later.

The Giants are 9-25 since resigning Jones after the 2022 season. Of course, Jones missed most of the 2023 season after playing poorly for the first seven weeks, and he was released after ten mediocre games in 2024. Before Jones started in 2019, Eli Manning was the quarterback since 2004 — more than 20 years ago.

Schoen appears interested in the veteran quarterback market. His seat is hot, and patience for just a rookie quarterback may not be a virtue — not a great situation, but a conversation for another day. He’s mentioned trades as an option in the recent past, and Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford is linked to the Giants.

Only a little smoke surrounds a Stafford trade, and everything remains unclear. What’s evident, though, is the Giants’ desire for a veteran quarterback. Here are five quarterbacks and different scenarios to consider.

Aaron Rodgers, Jets

This isn’t contentious at all! Rodgers is a 41-year-old future Hall of Famer with a reputation that vexes some people. He’s one year removed from his torn Achilles suffered four snaps into the 2023 season against the Buffalo Bills. Rodgers is coming off his first actual season playing for the Jets, and he threw for 3,897 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Rodgers averaged 6.7 yards per target with a 63% completion rate and a Big Time Throw Rate of 4.2% with a low 1.8% turnover-worthy play rate. His average depth of target was 7.3 yards. He ranked in the bottom 12 in the pressure-to-sack ratio and appeared much slower than usual, which comes with age and recovery from a serious lower-leg injury.

Rodgers’ age is an issue; he may only have one year left. However, his arm talent still popped on screen, as did his ability to protect the football. He is not reluctant to let the football rip deep out of his hand and does an excellent job processing risk. He’s an anticipatory thrower with terrific velocity.

Rodgers was recently asked about his plans. Here’s his response:

Rodgers may have no interest in the Giants; conversely, the Giants may have no interest in Rodgers. Still, Rodgers throwing to Malik Nabers would be a lovely sight. I’m unsure if he has enough in the tank or thinks the Giants are a “good team,” but I am certainly entertaining the idea at a much lesser price than other options with his skill set.

Russell Wilson, PIT

Wilson helped take Pittsburgh’s offense to a new level last season; well, at least initially. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin benched Justin Fields after his 4-2 start when Wilson’s calf was finally healed. Over his first seven starts, Wilson’s team scored more than 25 points five times, and Pittsburgh was 5-2 over that span.

Including the playoff loss against Baltimore, Wilson finished with 2,752 passing yards (7.5 yards per attempt) with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He had a beautiful Big Time Throw Rate of 6.3%, which ranked fourth in the NFL, and a turnover-worthy play rate of just 1.6%, which was third best in the NFL.

No quarterback in the NFL had higher Pro Football Focus grades than Wilson on deep passes (20+ yards). He also had the highest completion percentage, the highest yards per attempt, and the second-lowest turnover-worthy play rate on throws that traveled over twenty yards.

The 37-year-old is now two seasons removed from his disastrous first year in Denver, and he mainly played well in 2024, although Pittsburgh’s offense trailed off toward the end of the year and failed to score 20 points in the final five games.

Spotrac.com has Russell Wilson’s market value at $38.7 million average annual value on a two-year deal (total value of $77.5 million). That’s a lot of money, putting him in Geno Smith and Kirk Cousins’ contractual territory. He signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with Pittsburgh last season, for he could not sign a more significant contract, lest he lose his revenue from Denver.

Justin Fields, PIT

Justin Fields is a more physically gifted athlete than Daniel Jones, but both are plagued with similar processing and anticipation issues. Fields finished the season with 1,106 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, one interception, a Big Time Throw Rate of 3.4%, and a Turnover Worthy Rate of 2.8%.

Fields was most dangerous with his legs; he rushed for 289 yards and five touchdowns with six fumbles. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith seemed to enjoy the physicality and mobility of the young quarterback, something Brian Daboll would leverage.

Fields are only 25 years old and can be had at a fraction of Wilson’s price. Spotrac.com has his market value at $8.9 million average annual value — a shot on Fields at that price as the No. 2 quarterback is an interesting option.

The Chicago Bears traded up to the Giants’ pick in 2021 and selected Fields. Usually, former first-round quarterbacks who have played for two teams and are available on free agency at 25 are destined to be journeymen or niche players. That may be the case for Fields, but is there a case of redemption in Fields’ future? Can he stabilize with a quality offensive coach, a star playmaker, and a different environment? I remain unconvinced that he can, but I am still willing to explore him as a less-expensive option that isn’t the de facto starter.

Jameis Winston, CLE

I love watching Jameis Winston play. It’s a rollercoaster in 1910: it’s thrilling and can take your breath away, but it can also crash and burn. However, I am a fan of Winston. The 31-year-old threw for 2,121 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over nine appearances in 2024.

Winston had a yards per attempt of 7.2, which ranked in the top 20. His Big Time Throw rate was 3.8%, just ahead of Drake Maye and Bo Nix but just behind Caleb Williams and Jalen Hurts. To no surprise, Winston did lead the league in turnover-worthy play

Another consistent part of Winston’s game is his aDot — average depth of target. He is neither scared nor shy to let it rip and look for the big explosive play. Winston ranked third in the NFL behind Anthony Richardson and Trevor Lawrence in aDot at 9.7 yards. Winston also ranked seventh in the league in pressure-to-sack ratio (23.3%).

Winston had 20 explosive passes and exceeded 300 yards in three of his seven starts (BLT, NO, DEN). Winston’s Big Time Throw rate was his lowest since 2019; he’s typically north of the five-and-a-half-percent number, placing him with Sam Darnold, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow in 2024.

Winston signed a one-year, $4-million contract with the Cleveland Browns last offseason — less than Drew Lock received from the Giants. Spotrac has his market value at $6 million over two years, $12.1 million — sign me up!

Depending on the Giants’ plans at quarterback, Winston does make sense. Now, Daboll may rip his facial hair out with the turnover-worthy plays. Yet, Winston can back up another veteran at that price tag, giving the Giants competent backup quarterback play and a signal caller who can maximize Nabers. Or he could be an inexpensive backup to a rookie quarterback with starting upside. Either way, I’m interested in Winston.

Mac Jones, JAX

I get it — somewhat uninspiring — but inexpensive and young. Jones is just 26 years old, coming off one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars after failing to reach year four with the New England Patriots, who selected Jones at pick 15 in the 2021 NFL Draft. Jones threw for 1,672 yards with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions through his 10 appearances with Jacksonville.

Jones did complete 65.3% of his passes with 6.4 yards per attempt and a 7.7-average depth of target number. He had a 2.9% big-time throw rate and a 3.2% turnover-worthy throw rate in 2024. His career BTT is 4%, and his career TWTR is 3.4%.

The 6’3, 220-pound quarterback had a great rookie season with Josh McDaniels. He threw for 4,033 yards with 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and a yards per attempt of 7.2. McDaniels left for Las Vegas, and Jones regressed and was eventually benched two seasons later.

Spotrac has Jones’ market value as a one-year $5.4 million deal. It’s cheap for a former first-round pick who reportedly has high processing. If anyone has a bit of insight on Jones, it’s his college offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll. Jones was a freshman at Alabama when Daboll helped Nick Saban win a national championship in 2017.

If the Giants pursue Jones, he would be coupled with another veteran quarterback addition. I wouldn’t want Jones to be the only veteran added, along with a rookie. New York may get Jones cheaper than the Spotrac number listed above and they can evalaute for a year to see if there’s more to his game.

** BONUS **

Sam Darnold is the other name linked to the Giants. I’m uninterested in paying Darnold, who I believe has talent, $40 million a year on a multi-year contract, nor do I think Darnold is eager to play back in New York. He’s only 27 years old and has a lot more arm talent than Daniel Jones, but it’s contractually similar for a player with one good year under his belt; that year was spent in arguably one of the most quarterback-friendly systems with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Kevin O’Connell. I don’t want to buy an asset at its peak, and I’m afraid that’s precisely what the Giants would be doing if they pursued Darnold on a $40-million, four-year deal.