What an embarrassment. The Giants, the Steelers… anyone who wants Rodgers’ QB services… should not be waiting for his decision for this long. If I were GM, I would tell Rodgers that he has until Monday at 4PM to make up his mind or the offer expires and we are moving on. Frankly, it is a metaphor, and a test for who runs who. If you have a backbone and are the one who runs your franchise, no single player should be dictating the terms of engagement. MAYBE, just maybe, you extend that privilege to a franchise player who has already dedicated his body & soul to your team over many years and earned the kind of goodwill to be extended that consideration. Rodgers? He is a hired gun with a half-life about as long as a banana with brown spots. It is ridiculous that it has lasted this long.
Does Rodgers have concerns that the Giants may ‘Kurt Warner’ him and draft a QB who replaces him midseason? TFB. Make up your mind. I only wish I could be on the 18th hole of my career, have someone pay me $30something million a year and then bench me for my troubles. If you want a title… breaking news… sit it out and wait for some desperate team with Supe asperations to sign you in September or October when their starting QB is lost for the season. This is precisely why you have to call the question and then move on if he does commit.
I have not blogged since Matt Stafford was in play. That would have been interesting. That the Giants were ultimately used as a stalking horse (word is that the Giants checked both the salary box to Stafford and the comp box to the Rams) and now are being ab/used by Rodgers is an awful look for a franchise that is looking more impotent by the day. Schoen and Daboll wanted to upgrade the OL but missed on Will Fries too.
“All we did was put rotten cheese in the fridge. It’s good to have just in case, but nobody wants to eat that sh*t.” – El Jefe @JefePil
So what should the Giants do, assuming they do not get Rodgers? Judging by the visits extended to Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco, it would appear those are the next two in line. I think Wilson will make the Giants respectable this season, but he’s not going back to Pittsburgh and if there is no place else for him to land, the Giants should drive that price DOWN, and “get him for $10-15M + team incentives,” says Wonder. At this point, you can bet that if Schoen wants Wilson, he will be desperate and pay a lot more than that.
I respect Orlovsky. Could Jaxson Dart be a franchise QB? If so, the Giants at 1.03 have a great pick. I think back to 1.05 in the 1996 draft when it was clear there were 4 players, and then a cliff. So the Giants were odd man out with Cedric Jones. This year everyone is very clear, there are 3 people: Cam Ward, Abdul Carter, and Travis Hunter, who will go top 3. The point is that the Giants have a super valuable pick, and everyone knows it. So you can trade down to 10-15-20 and get a ton in 2026, then ALSO take Dart IF that guy impresses. And if not, or if he is taken before you, you trade down again and get more 2026 draft picks.
Wonder likes Jaxson Dart but agrees that there are question marks. “Trade back and get him at the end of R1, and if QB is spoken for by all teams, then just take Dart at 2.34. Separately, Tyler Shough is an older (26 in September) QB with an NFL body, experienced, that I would consider in late R2 or early R3, assuming teams like TEN CLE and LVR already have QBs.”
In terms of veterans, I prefer Jameis Winston + (Jayden’s VR goggles to speed up the game and reduce INTs). Now you have two potential franchise QB paths (Winston, Dart/Shough). Are they less likely to pan out? Yes. But you are going this route at the same time you are trading down and stockpiling for the 2026 Draft. I thought Winston (minus the INTs) looked very good last season. He elevated everyone. Jerry Jeudy looked good… because of Winston. He can throw it anywhere on the field and is only 31. So with Nabers, Slayton and even Hyatt, Winston can vertically stretch defenses and make it easier on Robinson, Johnson and Tyrone Tracy underneath. I’d prefer that to Wilson. And frankly I don’t need Rodgers either to save any jobs with a 9-8 season. Bfd. Summed up, Wilson or Rodgers have zero franchise QB potential. Winston does.
We asked Wonder what he thought of Winston + the VR goggles idea + grooming a Dart after a trade down in Round 1. “I agree 100%,” said Wonder. “Just make the Winston deal for 1 year, with a team option for year 2.”
What is the ONE problem with all of this conjecture? It presupposes that the GM + HC are disciplined and patient. They will be neither, as both need to win now to secure their jobs. 2026 is not in their vocabulary. This is the exact opposite of how Ozzie Newsome successfully ran the Ravens. The Giants are in a rush. Newsome was always chill. The Giants can do well this season if EVERYTHING scripts out perfectly. In 9 out of 10 scripts we will pay for our haste. Tell me with a straight face that a new GM is thinking Wilson or Rodgers?! Of course they are not. Mara, you disgrace the memory of your father for putting us here.