New York Giants president and CEO John Mara didn’t mince words at the end of the 2024 campaign. If he doesn’t see significant improvements in 2025, both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will be out of a job.
With that in mind — and considering they have no quarterbacks under contract outside of exclusive rights free agent Tommy DeVito — Schoen and Daboll find themselves in an undesirable position, to say the least. And the latest free agency buzz doesn’t help their current QB predicament.
On January 21, USA Today Giants Wire contributor John Fennelly ranked the Giants’ top 13 quarterback options for the 2025 season including both draft prospects and veterans, and he settled on “either” Justin Fields or Russell Wilson being the No. 1 route for Schoen and Daboll — with the expectation being that the Pittsburgh Steelers would re-sign one of the two.
Just to be clear, targeting Fields or Wilson could mean pairing said veteran with a first- or second-round draft pick, but when you factor in Mara’s edict, starting a rookie QB from a weak class does not seem ideal.
So, Fennelly settled on one of the two Steelers vets. A fair choice. The problem is both are currently being linked to other organizations.
Potential Giants’ QB Targets Justin Fields & Russell Wilson Have Been Connected to Steelers & Raiders
Over the past several days, the market is beginning to take shape for both Fields and Wilson. First, the Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll, Wilson’s former head coach during his two Super Bowl runs and lone championship with the Seattle Seahawks.
Next, on January 24, NFL insider Jeff Howe (The Athletic) relayed that Wilson and Carroll have “mended fences” since the quarterback’s Seahawks departure, and that he could make sense as a veteran stopgap in Las Vegas.
Wilson also spoke glowingly of Carroll during a January 22 spot with the Pat McAfee Show, referring to him as a “special coach,” a “culture builder” and an “amazing individual.”
Following this weekend’s round of games, Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II then addressed the media on January 27, confirming that Pittsburgh’s plan is to extend either Fields or Wilson before free agency opens up.
Most Steelers beat reporters believe Fields will be the eventual choice, due to his age and potential as a former first-round talent. Which leads us to the final bit of bad news for the Giants.
On January 29, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler followed up on Howe’s post from the week before while discussing the 2025 free agency class with staff writer Matt Bowen, stating: “Is a reunion with Pete Carroll, now Las Vegas’ head coach, really viable? Two ex-Carroll assistants believe they can coexist, with one taking it as far as predicting that Wilson will sign there.”
Fowler added that the two “rekindled their relationship a little over a year ago,” per his sources, and that “this at least seems like a possibility.”
“I think both would be open to it, especially with this QB class the way it is,” one of Carroll’s former coaching assistants told Fowler.
Giants’ Quarterback Options Could Be Rookie or Bust if Justin Fields & Russell Wilson Sign Elsewhere
While nothing is set in stone, the tea leaves are suggesting that Fields could stay put in Pittsburgh with Wilson and Carroll reuniting in Las Vegas. That’s great for the Steelers and Raiders — who also need quarterbacks — but it would leave the Giants out in the cold once again.
That brings us back to Fennelly’s list, and whether or not he’s correct in thinking that Fields or Wilson are really the Giants’ top QB candidates.
Of course, there’s Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, who would no doubt energize fans more than Wilson. But neither are a guarantee to hit the ground running at the NFL level.
In fact, most draft experts think both would benefit from sitting behind a veteran signal-caller as rookies.
There are trade candidates like Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers, who ranked second, 10th and 11th on Fennelly’s board, respectively. But there’s no guarantee that any of those three will become available, and the Giants would probably rather sign one on the cheap (if cut) than trade for one and take on their existing contract.
The remainder of Fennelly’s list is mostly made up of lower-ranked draft prospects like Jalen Milroe or Jaxon Dart and borderline starters like Zach Wilson, Mac Jones or Jameis Winston. So, yeah, not great!
The one place you could disagree with Fennelly is with Sam Darnold. The Giants Wire writer ranked Darnold as the 13th — and least likely — 2025 QB option in his opinion, arguing Darnold’s price tag will be far too high for Schoen and Daboll to consider.
Keep in mind, the Giants are still stuck paying Daniel Jones’ cap hits, and Darnold’s asking price presents a very similar risk as Jones’ contract extension was in free agency. Because of all this, Fennelly labeled Darnold to NYG “unlikely.”
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