NFL analyst puts new name in consideration for the New York Giants at quarterback

Would a trade for Jake Browning be a good idea?

The consensus is that the New York Giants will take a two-pronged approach to trying to fix their quarterback problem this offseason, pairing a veteran with a draft pick.

With free agency before the draft, the first part of that equation is finding the veteran. Will the Giants take a big swing, trading for someone like Matthew Stafford, signing Sam Darnold, or adding a brand name like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Derek Carr if they get turned loose into the market? Or, will they take a more moderate swing at a veteran who can be a placeholder/mentor for a highly-drafted rookie like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders?

Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated, in a piece offering bold offseason predictions for each team, threw a name into the ring that has barely been discussed:

Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning.

Orr wrote:

The Giants will pair a quarterback in one of the first two rounds with an established veteran. I think the Giants’ starting quarterback this coming Week 1 will be aged 27 or older. Brian Daboll understands the game and also knows that the quickest way toward erasing the ugliness of next season is to find himself a quarterback with some seasoning who can get the ball out on time and on location. While I feel the Giants suffer a bit in the way the Falcons did—so much perceived talent but real holes at foundational spots that are overlooked—this is the season where it all must come together, or fall apart. What would I do? Use my extra fourth-round draft pick and see if I can pry Jake Browning out of Cincinnati, giving [Cam] Ward some time to sit in Year 1. Eventually, for Daboll to succeed, he’s going to need the dynamism of a running quarterback.

Valentine’s View

The Giants do have a pair of fourth-round picks, Nos. 104 and 134 (compensatory). Would Browning be a good option? Would it be worth using a fourth-round pick to pair him with Ward — or Shedeur Sanders?

I have occasionally been asked over the past couple of years about the Giants acquiring Browning. I have been leery of the idea.

The sample size is small. Browning will be 29 this season. He is a former undrafted free agent, and in a six-year career he has thrown regular-season passes in just one season. In 2023, he played in nine games and started seven for an injured Joe Burrow.

Browning was impressive. In those seven starts he went 4-3 and passed for more than 300 yards three times. He completed 70.4% of his passes, while throwing 12 touchdown passes to seven interceptions, and posting a passer rating of 98.4.

Browning is not a player you acquire and consider your quarterback situation fixed. You don’t bring him in and make him an unquestioned No. 1.

Can you do it in the situation Orr describes? Making him the temporary placeholder for a highly-drafted potential quarterback of the future while you give that rookie a chance to get comfortable in the NFL, and have Browning as a mentor/eventual backup?

Sure you can.

Browning is under contract for $1.030 million for 2025, and will be a restricted free agent in 2026.

Here are the projected contracts for some free agent quarterbacks, via Spotrac:

• Jameis Winston (two years, $12.052 million)
• Justin Fields (one-year, $6.43 million)
• Sam Darnold (four years, $160.494 million)
• Russell Wilson (two years, $77.466 million)
• Mac Jones (one-year, $5.363 million)
• Zach Wilson (one-year, $3.325 million)

All of those quarterbacks have warts. None are a sure-fire answer. Same with Browning. An argument for Browning would be that the low financial cost gives you more freedom to improve the roster elsewhere. Plus, he is familiar with handling a backup role.

Of course, I am not sure what would motivate the Bengals to part with him. They don’t have another viable backup quarterback on their roster, and that is an important spot for a team with playoff ambitions.

If they were willing to consider trading him, is acquiring Browning worth considering?