The New York Giants went for broke in their pursuit of Matthew Stafford. They matched the Rams’ trade demands. They hit Stafford’s contract number. They even hired his brother-in-law, Chad Hall, to the coaching staff. And somehow, it still wasn’t enough. Stafford never wanted to leave Los Angeles, sending the Giants back to square one.
Since then, the Giants have thrown their hat into just about every quarterback conversation imaginable. Aaron Rodgers is apparently in the mix. Russell Wilson or Sam Darnold have been mentioned. The possibility of drafting a quarterback at No. 3? As of the moment, that's the most obvious and likely scenario—or is it?
After ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported multiple league sources believe a trade for the No. 1 overall pick is “likely,” it’s clear what must happen next—general manager Joe Schoen needs to do whatever it takes to get the No. 1 overall pick from Tennessee.
The Giants simply cannot afford to sit back and let the board fall to them. The Stafford swing-and-miss makes this move all the more important. After striking out once, they need to control their fate, not wait to see who's available at No. 3. The opportunity to lock down their quarterback of the future is right there, and they need to make sure they're not left in no-man's land.
Giants reportedly set to make a move for No. 1 pick
Raanan dropped a massive update on the Giants' draft plans, reporting: “Multiple league sources left their meetings with the Giants this week thinking a trade for the No. 1 pick with the Tennessee Titans was likely. In that scenario, they expected it to be for Miami’s Cam Ward.”
Multiple league sources left their meetings with the Giants this week thinking a trade for the No. 1 pick with the Tennessee Titans was likely. In that scenario, they expected it to be for Miami’s Cam Ward.https://t.co/AagBusp3JO
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 4, 2025
That’s as strong a statement as we’ve heard about the Giants’ draft strategy. It lines up with pretty much everything we’ve seen from Schoen this offseason—he’s swinging for the fences and looking under every rock.
The Giants haven’t been shy about their interest in the top quarterbacks. They’ve scouted Ward extensively. They’ve kept a close eye on Shedeur Sanders. They’ve done their homework on Jaxson Dart and Quinn Ewers as fallback options. But if they believe Ward is the guy, then getting to No. 1 is the only way to guarantee he's wearing Blue, White, and Red next season.
Look, losing out on Stafford wasn’t the Giants’ fault. They met every demand and still got left at the altar. But that’s exactly why they can’t afford to leave this one up to chance. They have the means and the desperation to make it happen. The Titans are open to moving the pick, and the Giants, sitting at No. 3, make the cleanest trade partner.
A package including their No. 3 pick, third-round pick, and an extra Day 2 selection in 2026 should be enough to get the deal done.
The difference between landing Ward and settling for whatever’s left is legitimately franchise-altering. The Giants already saw what happened when they let other teams dictate the quarterback market last year. They refused to overpay to move up, got locked out of the top picks, and watched as Daniel Jones and Drew Lock combined for one of the worst quarterback situations in football.
This time, there are no excuses. Make the trade. Get the quarterback. Control your future.