Few teams have as big of a singular offseason need than the New York Giants. After ending the year with Drew Lock at quarterback, the Giants are in desperate need of a new signal-caller in the 2025 NFL offseason, whether it be from the draft or free agency.
Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Giants and Shedeur Sanders seem to gravitate closer to each other with each passing day. Two teams have a chance to steal Sanders before New York makes its selection at No. 3, but the writing appears to be on the wall. Still, a lot can happen in the month leading up to the draft.
Before Matthew Stafford locked himself into the Los Angeles Rams for the 2025 season, Schoen aggressively pursued a trade for the 37-year-old. The Giants reportedly offered Stafford a lucrative multi-year deal that he turned down to remain with the Rams. The move now forces Schoen, who said he will look “under every rock,” to seek a solution elsewhere.
Even with a potential quarterback selection in the draft, the Giants still need to add another in the offseason. Tommy DeVito joins Lock in free agency, leaving New York without anyone under center at the turn of the new season. No team is as quarterback-needy as the Giants currently are, making that their clear-cut priority during free agency in the 2025 NFL offseason.
QB Jameis Winston
It has been nearly a decade since the quarterback free agency market has been as dry as it currently is, hence the Giants chasing a trade for Stafford. New York’s current state of desperation has them considering a cross-town move for Aaron Rodgers that would benefit no one involved.
One month removed from his best season in years, Jameis Winston is arguably the most intriguing quarterback available in free agency. Though he threw just 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, Winston captured the hearts of NFL fans league-wide for his reckless approach. The infamous gunslinger never sees a pass he doesn’t like and remains the only player to lead the league in both touchdowns and interceptions in the same year.
Following four dormant years with the New Orleans Saints, many forgot about Winston by 2024 training camps. He barely snuck onto the Cleveland Browns roster, but once given the opportunity, he quickly became America’s favorite quarterback. If the Giants are not going to win, they can at least give their fans a more entertaining watch than the disaster they put together in 2024.
Winston does not have a style that will ever lead to a championship, but the Giants are far from that reality. At the most, New York would call on Winston to start in 2025 to allow its rookie to get his footing. Giving their next franchise quarterback might be a difficult sell but would be a wise decision, particularly with the relative lack of talent compared to previous years.
Potential fit with Giants
This deep into his rocky career, Winston is who he is. Even with the turnovers, his high-volume approach fits what Brian Daboll has succeeded with in the past. Save for maybe Sam Darnold, Winston would also get the most out of budding star Malik Nabers of the available free agents.
Aside from Darnold, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are the only other quarterbacks the Giants would be able to justify starting in 2025. The goal, of course, is not to find a long-term starter in free agency, so long as the plan is to address that need in the draft. Wilson could be a comparable option, but Fields’ inefficiency as a passer would not elevate the team’s offense much more than Lock did.
Mac Jones, Taylor Heinicke, Carson Wentz, Zach Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo headline the remaining list of names in the field. In the current era of reformed quarterbacks, perhaps Daboll and the Giants attempt a similar feat in the 2025 NFL offseason. It would just seem unlikely with what those players have offered thus far in their respective careers.
With as much turmoil as the Giants are already dealing with, Winston is not an exciting hire. Yet, the timing of New York’s quarterback situation leaves them with few other choices than to give the unorthodox veteran a shot.
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