PALM BEACH, Fla. — As expected, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen didn’t reveal his intentions for the No. 3 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft when he spoke with reporters Monday at the NFL’s league annual meetings. But Schoen’s answers on the topic left the impression that he is preparing to take a non-quarterback with the top pick.
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“We set it up where we don’t have to (take a quarterback at No. 3),” Schoen said. “We can go several different directions. Ultimately, in theory … you want to put them in there and say, ‘Hey, here’s our franchise quarterback for the next 15 years.’ There’s got to be one available, and they’ve got to check a lot of boxes.”
This is the point when I’m obligated to note that this is “lying season” and general managers strive for misdirection when speaking publicly. And Schoen would never give a direct answer to a direct question about a specific prospect. But he’s tended to preemptively rationalize roster-building decisions when speaking in big-picture terms.
For instance, Schoen railed against the public’s “obsession” with landing a No. 1 wide receiver during the 2023 offseason. He emphasized at the 2023 combine that the value had to match up to land a No. 1 receiver before not adding one that offseason.
So, it felt like Schoen was laying the groundwork Monday to pass on a quarterback with the third pick, with an understanding that such a decision will likely receive some criticism based on the Giants’ need for a long-term answer at the most important position.
“The assumption is there’s going to be a guy (worthy of the third pick),” Schoen said. “I understand (that) narrative. But as we do our homework, if there’s not a guy, taking one to check the box, if it’s not the guy, that’s not a good plan.”
Schoen’s thought process is sound. Forcing a quarterback is a detrimental move. The Giants just experienced that for six years after forcing Daniel Jones with the sixth pick in 2019.
But it’s impossible to hide from the fact that the Giants don’t have a quarterback for the future, which co-owner John Mara called the top priority at the start of the offseason. They could take a quarterback later in the draft, but despite some notable exceptions, that hasn’t been a proven path to landing a franchise QB.
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So for now, the Giants are moving forward with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. The least surprising development Monday was Schoen confirming that Wilson will take first-team reps when the offseason program begins on April 21. Wilson said he expected to be the starter after he signed a one-year contract reportedly worth $10.5 million with another $10.5 million available in incentives.
Schoen said the Giants made a contract offer to Wilson when he visited the team on March 14, but it took 11 days of negotiations before an agreement was reached. That’s because the quarterback courting was occurring on “parallel talks.”
The Giants were simultaneously pursuing Aaron Rodgers, but threw in the towel after the four-time MVP visited the Steelers on March 21. Later that day, the Giants signed Winston to a two-year contract reportedly worth $8 million with another $8 million available in incentives.
Schoen said Winston was aware when he signed that Wilson could be added. Schoen said the key to juggling multiple quarterback options was to “shoot them straight on the opportunity.” In that vein, Schoen said he didn’t make any assurances to Wilson that the team wouldn’t draft a quarterback.
“I didn’t tell him what we’re going to do at No. 3, but I said we’re open to everything,” Schoen said. “You can’t give a promise you’re not going to take a certain position or something like that. That’s not fair.”
It’s obvious Schoen believes Wilson fits the criteria he outlined at the combine about looking “for the best player available that can help us win games in ’25.” Wilson has been the only starter added to a Giants offense that ranked 31st in scoring last season.
Schoen touted Wilson’s impressive resume, noting that he throws 20 touchdown passes annually. It’s impossible to ignore, however, that the 36-year-old Wilson’s play has declined. The Giants will be his fourth team in the past five years, and he lost his final five starts for the Steelers last season. But there are never any perfect quarterback options on the market.
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“There’s this pool of players you can choose from, so you’re looking at what they can do and accentuate the positives,” Schoen said. “He was able to win games this year. Again, leadership, 10-time Pro Bowler. Expect that play to continue.”
The dual signings are clearly a response to the Giants’ inconceivable run of misfortune at quarterback the past two seasons. They started three quarterbacks in 2024 and had four total QBs play last season. Regardless of their draft plan, Schoen prioritized having two capable veterans in the fold.
“We went through our offseason needs: Quarterback, backup quarterback,” Schoen said. “We played seven the last two years.”
Schoen believes he followed through on his combine vow to take swings at quarterback. The biggest swing was a miss on an attempted trade for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who elected to remain in Los Angeles after negotiating with the Giants and Raiders.
“Ultimately, where he is in his career, he was able to stay in his house,” Schoen said. “He’s got four kids who are young, and he was able to stay with the organization he was with. Ultimately, that was his decision.”
The Stafford decision had a ripple effect on the rest of the offseason. Instead of committing at least $50 million per year to him on a multi-year contract, the Giants diverted money to reinforce the defense. They have less than $15 million committed to the quarterback position, although the price difference reflects the performance gap between Stafford and the Wilson/Winston combo.
Schoen said he’s excited about the quarterback room he has assembled. The mystery is if he’ll add to that room with the third pick in the draft. The sense on Monday was that Schoen is leaning away from making that type of swing based on the options expected to be available.
(Photo of Russell Wilson: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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