The Giants’ persistent interest in Aaron Rodgers after signing Jameis Winston indicates there is a chance they won’t get a quarterback at all with the No. 3 overall pick. It means GM Joe Schoen considers it possible, if not potentially likely, that the Titans and Browns could pick Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at the top of April’s NFL Draft. And that could mean the Giants taking Colorado corner Travis Hunter or Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3, although Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart would be an option, too. In other words, if the Giants are continuing to pursue veteran starting QBs after signing Winston, it means they have kept that draft scenario – all draft scenarios – on the table. And it could mean that in an offseason in which the Giants are desperate for a quarterback of the future, they may end up only with talents of the past at the helm – and perhaps a more developmental rookie down the line in rounds two or three. Sure, there is a possibility that Schoen and the Giants still could pick Sanders or Dart No. 3 overall even after signing both Rodgers and Winston. But that asset allocation wouldn’t add up, considering the presumed cost of Rodgers and the expectation that he would only sign somewhere if he was guaranteed to start and play in 2025. It also remains unlikely they will land Rodgers, who appears to be prioritizing both the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers over them – although it would not be a surprise if he visited the Giants’ East Rutherford, N.J., facility before making a decision. The Giants’ continued interest in a more expensive, higher-level veteran quarterback, though, is a good reminder of how they began the offseason: They made an aggressive play to trade major assets and pay big money for the Rams’ Matthew Stafford until Stafford decided he wanted to stay in Los Angeles instead. Going full tilt after Stafford seemed to indicate that the Giants either didn’t believe a franchise quarterback existed in this class or that they weren’t fully confident their preferred QB would be available to them at the No. 3 pick. Pursuing Stafford pointed more towards drafting a non-QB like Hunter or Carter at No. 3 and, frankly, seemed like the most efficient way to build a better team in 2025, a year in which both Schoen and coach Brian Daboll are on the hot seat. So that could still be an angle the Giants are keeping in play here: taking a position player at No. 3 instead. Is it their preferred course of action? It’s hard to believe that. They spent an inordinate amount of time scouting Sanders at Colorado games and practices last fall. Schoen and Sanders have seemed like a match for months, especially with Ward being the clear favorite to be the Titans’ No. 1 overall selection. Tennessee once postured as if they intended to trade out of the pick. But their free agent activity appeared to point toward a team intent on picking Ward at one. The Giants’ problem if they are eyeing Sanders is that they don’t have a top two pick. Why not? Because they won a meaningless Week 17 game against the Indianapolis Colts to snap a 10-game losing streak. Think about it: Daboll probably saved his job by winning a game to finish the season with 11 losses in 12 games instead of losing 12 straight. And in the process, the victory cost the Giants the No. 1 pick. There were then some private, metaphorical fist-pumps that the Giants strategically found a way to lose in Week 18 while looking somewhat competitive against the Philadelphia Eagles’ backups. Because at least the win over Indy wouldn’t keep them from picking in the top three. That’s the flawed operation that brought the Giants to this embarrassing and scatter-brained offseason where they’re throwing free agent visits and public relations messages at the dart board to see what sticks. They’re not an attractive place to play, and they don’t have control of their draft destiny. So they’re keeping everything on the table as an option. Because they have no other choice. ...read more read less