The New York Giants' quarterback situation is truly an awful time. After missing out on Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields, and Sam Darnold, the G-Men are left with slim-pickings. And unfortunately beggars can't be choosers.
Big Blue is supposedly still in the running for the top-two remaining free-agent quarterbacks. However, it's anyone's guess as to whether the feelings are mutual or not. Russell Wilson has had his in-person meeting with the Giants, and while the wining and dining must have been amazing, he still left the facility without a deal. There's a rumored one-year deal on the table for his services, but he wants more. Well, at least the Giants know what he wants. It's a completely different ball game with the other.
Aaron Rodgers has always played the contrarian, but this might be next-level. The 41-year-old is holding up the market as he tries to find whatever it is he's looking for. He was rumored to be choosing between the Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers for his new home. Seeing how starved the G-Men are for a remotely competent quarterback, he's been really feeling himself and the power he holds. His latest update all but confirms it.
Aaron Rodgers is doing Aaron Rodgers things and holding everything up
A recent report from The Athletic suggests that Rodgers is now gunning for one team, and if he doesn't get his way, he could end his football playing career entirely. This guy is calculated.
In a social media post from The Athletic, they summarized his new situation with the Minnesota Vikings, throwing a major wrench into the Giants' questionable quarterback plans. The post stated:
"If the Vikings ceases to be an option for Aaron Rodgers, it’s possible that he will turn down both the Steelers and Giants and instead opt for retirement."
Another quarterback. Another update. Another disturbance. Another classic Giants conundrum.
So, out of nowhere, the Vikings have emerged as his desired landing spot, some going as far as to say it's the Vikings or bust. Retirement. He'd been stirring up interest with other teams to catch the Vikings' attention. That's a bombshell.
Unfortunately that would mean he'd come up short on copying Brett Favre's every career move—start career in Green Bay, get traded to the New York Jets, then finish career in Minnesota—but one can only empathize so much.
With this recent report, it's time for general manager Joe Schoen to officially pull the plug. The Giants already look like the laughingstock of the quarterback market, and this just makes them look even worse if they don't knock it off with the Rodgers sweepstakes immediately.
Like if he's contemplating retirement over playing for a team he reached out to at the NFL Combine due to supposed interest, all while secretly trying to drive up a market for himself for the Vikings, it's time to get out and move on. If he actually wanted to play for the Giants or Steelers, a deal would have been done by now. Meanwhile, Schoen is waiting on a definitive decision from Rodgers before moving forward with someone else. The Giants are being played. What are we doing?
If this report rings true, Schoen has to just bite the bullet and go for broke with Wilson. Get out of this Rodgers mess for good.
Wilson might be the only real option left. He may not be prime Russ, but at least he’s actually interested in playing. Schoen can’t sit around waiting for Rodgers to decide if he wants to be a Viking, a Giant, or a retiree sipping ayahuasca tea in Peru. It's a disservice to the fans. The Giants need a quarterback now.