Giants Rival Takes Developmental QB Off Market

The New York Giants’ search for a franchise quarterback will continue into April’s NFL Draft, and it remains unclear just how urgent the front office is to fill the vacancy.

With the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns drafting ahead of them, the Giants may not have the opportunity to draft one of Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, forcing them to take a blue-chip non-quarterback like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter.

The pivot there might be to Round 2, where Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe figure to be available at a discount, offering potential without the expectations and risk that comes with first-round draft capital. New York could also opt to trade for a young passer, buying low on potential like the Pittsburgh Steelers did with Justin Fields ahead of the 2024 season.

On Thursday, one of those alternatives came off the board when the Dallas Cowboys traded for New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III.

In trading No. 171 for Milton and No. 217, they took an option away from the Giants, potentially playing into their April plans.

Now, Milton wasn’t a likely candidate; player trades are far too rare to make that assumption. But he was an option, and he generated real buzz after a Week 18 showing that was as insignificant as it was incredibly fun to watch.

Milton offers some of the best arm strength on the planet and isn’t afraid to show it off. He attempted one of the most daring passes of the season in his Week 18 cameo against the Buffalo Bills. Ultimately, he completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.

In 2025, he’ll spell star quarterback Dak Prescott and learn from one of the smartest quarterbacks in football.

Milton is an elite athlete and the prototype for a size/speed/strength threat at the quarterback position – he plays like it, too. But the offense he ran at Tennessee is leaps and bounds from an NFL playbook and there are real questions about how he’ll operate in timing-based offenses, consistently distribute in the quick game, and process information in tighter windows within structure.

He won’t play barring a Prescott injury, so New York doesn’t have to worry about a missed opportunity coming back to bite it in 2025, but it may make the chances of an early-round rookie infinitesimally more likely.