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Quarterback Russell Wilson Sam Greene/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

NFL Analysts Describe Giants' QB Plan as 'Head-scratching'

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Alex House | Last updated Apr 1, 2025 12:00 PM ET

For better or worse, the New York Giants are making plenty of headlines this offseason. Their glaring need for a quarterback made them one of the teams to watch in free agency, and their decisions to sign Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston will make them a must-see in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Given the pressure facing the current regime, the organization's clear objective is to enter the playoff picture next season, but the methods it is using to execute that plan are confusing some analysts.

While discussing the Giants' recent QB acquisitions on Pro Football Talk Live with Mike Florio Podcast, the PFT Editor-in-Chief and sports writer/commentator Michael Holley both did their best to understand the rationale of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

"They were given a directive from ownership: 'Hey, you got to get better, we've got to make some progress,'" Holley said.

"And could you imagine getting this kind of do-or-die message from your boss? The best you can come up with is to sign Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and bring back Tommy DeVito.

“I just feel like there should have been more imagination, there should have been more urgency. For the second year in a row, I look at them, and it's head-scratching."

Holley painted a rather hopeless picture for Giants fans but neglected a crucial fact. New York attempted to upgrade the quarterback room with Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers, but neither of those Super Bowl winners wanted to come aboard.

It is also possible that Schoen wanted to trade up for the No. 1 overall draft pick but found the Tennessee Titans' asking price unreasonably high.

Therefore, the front office did not have many appetizing options for filling its quarterback vacancy. Florio effectively hits this point, cleverly describing the Giant's growing desperation.

Giants chose to pivot once the market thinned

"When that winter storm is coming, what do you do?" Florio asked. "You got to go to the store... and you got to get bread and milk.

"There is a desperation to purchase bread and milk. We must have a full refrigerator of bread and milk because if this is the storm of the century, we will not be able to get bread and milk."

Florio took the analogy even further, explaining how the Giants did not find their brand of choice on the shelves and instead settled for the generic, more affordable ones.

Considering that New York has failed to find a viable successor for franchise legend Eli Manning, it may be collecting as many quarterbacks as it can store in the hopes that one will prosper.

However, Russell Wilson certainly does not regard himself as a generic signal-caller. He has won a Super Bowl and narrowly lost another while also throwing for 350 career touchdown passes and over 46,000 yards.

Yes, the 36-year-old is well past his prime, but he was good enough to help a formidable Pittsburgh Steelers roster advance to the playoffs.

And that is what Schoen and Daboll are asking of him. Big Blue has a plethora of talent on defense and possibly an elite wide receiver in Malik Nabers on offense. Inserting Wilson under center should ideally limit mistakes and turnovers, raising this squad's floor to that of a competitive bunch.

He might only buy the GM and HC one year, though. Whether they select the seemingly polarizing Shedeur Sanders with the No. 3 pick or grab a quarterback later in the draft, fans want to peek into the future.

And when they look ahead, they do not want to see fog. New York still has time left to provide everyone with the clarity they seek.

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