New York Giants fans waited a long time for Daniel Jones to pan out, but never saw the payoff. The team is now on the cusp of taking another big cut at the quarterback position, though circumstances will dictate who is ultimately there for the taking.
Colorado star Shedeur Sanders has shown interest in joining the Giants before, wearing customized cleats styled after the organization's color scheme in the Alamo Bowl last month. Sanders was great in college, as was Cam Ward of Miami, and rookies bring a level of excitement tied to promise and an unknown ceiling that free agents often can't match.
Often the only way they can is to be an established superstar already. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is far from that, though he put together an outstanding campaign in 2024 and is still just 27 years old.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Furthermore, New York owns the third pick in the upcoming draft and sits behind two teams in the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns who may also go QB with their first selections.
As such, Benjamin Solak of ESPN listed the Giants as among the top suitors for Darnold even if Sanders or Ward falls to them at No. 3 -- in part because Darnold may be the best player the organization can acquire and because despite all the hope they bring, rookie quarterbacks come saddled with just as much uncertainty.
"The Giants must have [a] viable free agent starter before the draft comes around in April. That isn't Drew Lock, who is a free agent this offseason," Solak wrote on Jan. 28. "Will coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen -- who have been informed by ownership that their jobs are in jeopardy -- place their eggs in a Jarrett Stidham basket? Throw their lot in with Andy Dalton? Desperation should drive the Giants to the Darnold market. Darnold plus a highly drafted rookie passer would give Daboll and Schoen the most routes to a job-saving performance in 2025."
Spotrac projects that Darnold, who comes with plenty of uncertainty of his own, will be worth more than $40 million annually ($160.5 million total) on a four-year deal this March.
