The New York Giants are desperate to find a long-term solution at the quarterback solution, there is absolutely no question about it.
It's been a brutal last 12-15 months for Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, who were completely embarrassed on the offseason version of HBO's Hard Knocks when they lost star running back Saquon Barkley to their division rival (and eventual Super Bowl champion) Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants then had to watch Barkley run for 2,000 yards and absolutely dominate for a division rival. On that same show, Joe Schoen's son was clowning him for not moving up to go and get Jayden Daniels, telling his dad he only gets one shot to be an NFL GM.
The words of Schoen's son may be echoing in his head line a recurring nightmare, because Daniels -- who was out of the Giants' realistic reach last year, to be fair -- went on to have arguably the greatest rookie season we've ever seen from a young quarterback.
Schoen didn't want to let an opportunity pass him by again in 2025, or even wish he would have done more in his pursuit of a franchise quarterback. The Giants reportedly made a call to the Tennessee Titans in the weeks leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft offering them the 3rd overall pick and a 2026 1st-round pick as a baseline offer to get quarterback Cam Ward.
Giants GM Joe Schoen called the Titans during the 2025 NFL Draft to trade up
FWIW: Prior to this, a few weeks earlier, the #Giants made a serious attempt to trade for the No. 1 pick, willing to offer the No. 3 selection and a 2026 first-rounder. The #Titans declined, fully locked in on drafting Cam Ward. https://t.co/gz1vmTtWWS
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 8, 2025
At least Schoen will be able to sleep at night knowing he tried. He laughed off the call to Titans GM Mike Borgonzi when the Titans were officially on the clock, but they made their decision days (if not weeks) prior to that.
Despite all of the embarrassing things that happened to the Giants over the last 12-15 months, they did have a really good haul of players in the 2024 offseason with Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy really showing out for that rookie class, trade acquisition Brian Burns being as-advertised off the edge, and others stepping up.
It wasn't a total loss as far as team-building is concerned, but the Giants have been forced to pivot at quarterback so many times that even they might be losing track at this point. They're throwing a lot of darts in the 2025 offseason with the additions of Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson, and trading up in the first round for Jaxson Dart.
You can't blame Schoen for taking a last-minute swing, especially because of how desperate his situation is. He and Brian Daboll have to be on the hot seat in 2025.