Rodgers Drops Take on Giants' 'Beautiful Football Mind'

The New York Giants entered the offseason with a choice to make under center. They could commit themselves to a rookie or find a plug-and-play starter to be the bridge to the next franchise quarterback.

In March, the Giants settled on two veteran quarterbacks: Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. They weren’t necessarily the team’s first choice under center. The Los Angeles Rams shopping Matthew Stafford dominated social media timelines, and the upside of Justin Fields had some fans intrigued. Geno Smith came off the board, Sam Darnold replaced him. Aaron Rodgers was among the candidates, too.

New York, obviously, passed on his services. Just about everyone else has, too.

Rodgers remains unsigned, and while he’s expected to put pen to paper with the Pittsburgh Steelers at some point, nothing seems imminent.

He went on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday to announce that he wasn’t ready to make his decision. He did, however, reveal his take on Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

“I will say, I did talk to Brian Daboll,” Rodgers said. “I had a great conversation with him; really enjoyed him a lot. He's a lot of fun to talk to and has a beautiful football mind.”

That’s high praise from a future Hall of Famer and one of the passers renowned for his ability to win between the ears. He’s commandeered offenses, improvised at the line of scrimmage, and proven himself time and time again. As such, those words are meaningful and perhaps generate optimism for Daboll, who might still add a rookie quarterback.

Rodgers wasn’t on midday ESPN to complete coaches for the sake of it. He also explained his departure from the New York Jets, and wasn’t as kind to head coach Aaron Glenn.

According to the quarterback, New York asked him to fly to the facility, only to tell him almost immediately that the Jets were not welcoming him back in 2025.

Fortunately for the Giants, Rodgers and his interviews won’t be a part of the season that holds everyone’s jobs in the balance. It’ll be on Wilson and his well-regarded head coach to right the ship in 2025.