Where Giants stack up as Aaron Rodgers free agency pursuit could heat up soon
Aaron Rodgers will be officially released by the Jets at 4 p.m.on Wednesday.Well before then, he could have a new team.And that team could be the Giants, although it also could be someone else out there interested in bringing in a 41-year old quarterback on the downside of his Hall of Fame career.The Giants, and all other teams poking around for a quarterback, have been permitted to speak with Rodgers since the Jets made it known on Feb.
13 — via a breaking news story on their own website — that they were parting ways with him.Negotiations have likewise been permitted since then, although an actual contract can’t be signed until he is released by the Jets.It is clear that Rodgers is not the Giants’ first choice.
Their Plan A was Matthew Stafford and they got as far as agreeing to a contract extension.They had been in talks with Stafford for nearly a month, and there was a time when the Giants believed they would be able to swing a trade with the Rams and that Stafford would be their next starting quarterback.
Stafford ultimately opted to return to the Rams.The Giants saw Stafford, 36, as having at least two good seasons in him, and acquiring him would have mitigated the need to select a quarterback with the No.3 pick in next month’s NFL draft.
Rodgers is viewed as a nine-month rental and his presence would mean the Giants most likely would still try to get Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders or trade with the Titans up to the No.1 spot, presumably to land Ward.
Then, Rodgers would start and, depending on how he and the team fared, the rookie would watch and learn.If things went south, when the rookie was deemed ready he would be inserted into the lineup.It remains to be seen what sort of market is out there for Rodgers.
The Vikings make some sense, if they want an experienced and capable starter to hold the fort until J.J.McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick, is fully healthy following two knee surgeries that forced him to miss his rookie season.
Daniel Jo...