Aaron Rodgers to Giants? Here’s Why That’s Unlikely

One analysis thinks soon-to-be ex-Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be the ideal fit to solve the Giants veteran quarterback need. Here's why he wouldn't.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is shown after he led Gang Green to a 32-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 5, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. / Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There’s an old saying that desperate times call for desperate measures, and one can certainly argue that the New York Giants are facing a desperate situation with their quarterback dilemma.

But would they be desperate enough to take a swing on Aaron Rodgers now that the Jets made it official that they’re moving on from the future Hall of Famer?

The Giants are one such team that Pro Football Network thinks would be a fit. Do their reasons justify the Giants rolling the dice on Rodgers, who, in two seasons with the Jets, could not deliver the team to the Promised Land? 

The short answer is an emphatic “No!”  

Still, in the interest of fairness, let’s examine the arguments made by PFN in favor of the union should Rodgers decide to keep playing. 

Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) drops back to pass against the Iowa State Cyclones in the first quarter during the Pop Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

“If Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders go off the board to the Titans and Browns, the Giants could be left without a good quarterback option.”

Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders might, several years down the line, very well turn out to be two of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game. 

Then again, they might not–no one knows right now.

But to suggest the Giants would be left without a good quarterback option if one or both are off the board when it’s not crystal clear that the Giants are even coveting one or both?  

Nope. I do not buy that argument. Nor do I buy the concept that if the Giants don’t draft a quarterback this year, they’re up the creek without a paddle.  

But even if that was the case, remember, Rodgers has not only had durability issues in his waning years, but he had a decent enough offense with the Jets this year to go along with a strong defense and did nothing with it. While not all his fault, a strong argument could be made that the Jets, given the preseason expectations last year, are the biggest disappointment of the 2024 season.  

And to say the Giants don’t have options? Let’s be real, shall we? Any quarterback capable of turning the Giants from a bottom dweller into a Super Bowl championship team overnight isn’t going to materialize on the doorsteps of 1925 Giants Drive simply. 

Not happening.

But what is out there and certainly capable of happening is a quarterback with a slightly better grasp on post-snap processing, who isn’t afraid of chucking the ball down the field, who can elevate the talent around him, and who can play above the Xs and Os. 

The Giants just have to find that guy.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. / Art Stapleton/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

“(Head coach) Brian Daboll and (general manager) Joe Schoen could be incentivized to take a swing on a veteran quarterback instead of waiting for a rookie to develop.”

This is sort of an extension of the first argument made by PFN, but again, let’s be realistic. Had the Giants been able to get a rookie last year, the plan was to sit him while he acclimated and then put him in the lineup. 

The idea was also to have a quarterback on the roster who could win games in the interim.

The Giants’ brass hoped that a healthy Daniel Jones and Drew Lock could do that, having shown they could in the past. And if Jones turned back into the 2022 version of himself, well, that was a good problem to have because it would allow a rookie to sit and continue developing or even give the Giants the option to trade one of their quarterbacks. 

The problem is that neither Jones nor Lock consistently did so. So when the Giants didn’t get a rookie quarterback last year who could have sat and then had the entire upcoming offseason to further develop to where he might have been ready to play if needed, that decision looms large as a blunder. 

The other thing to note is that despite the pressure Schoen and Daboll are under, the worst thing they can do is jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. 

Schoen told reporters a day after the season ended that he wouldn’t do something crazy just to save his skin and that they had a plan they intended to stick with.

But if their plan falls apart, will desperation sink in? Do they have room to pivot? For their collective sake, the answers to those two questions better be “no” and “yes.”

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Rodgers would have more upside than just about any veteran quarterback option in free agency, except Sam Darnold.”

Rodgers had several good offensive players during his time with the Jets. Yet this year, the Jets' offense still finished in the bottom third of the league (24th)—six spots higher than the 30th-ranked Giants despite the Jets' offensive line finishing seventh in pass-blocking efficiency rating (the Vikings offensive line finished 30th, one spot below the Giants’ offensive line, in case you’re wondering). 

If Rodgers had a better offensive line and solid weapons (Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, etc.) than the Giants, why weren’t the Jets a top-10 offense? 

Other Reasons

This notion of a Rodgers-Giants marriage does not make sense for so many other reasons.   

First, Rodgers seems to have a preferred type of playcaller (see Nathaniel Hackett). If he’s set in how he’d like to see the offense run, how willing would he be to adapt to another system?

Second, Rodgers tends to march to the beat of his own drum. His pre-planned trip to Egypt last spring, which led to him missing mandatory minicamp in what then head coach Robert Saleh said was an unexcused absence, is one such example of behavior that the Schoen-Daboll duo, who are all about the culture, are unlikely to tolerate.

And while they can’t stop players from having weekly radio/television spots on days off, how receptive might they be to Rodgers doing a program when he can sometimes be a bit of a loose cannon? 

---

More New York Giants Coverage

• Giants Looking to Sell Up to 10% Ownership Stake in Franchise

• Why NFL Insider Thinks Potential Matthew Stafford-Giants Union Makes Sense

• Should Giants Consider Trade for Matthew Stafford if He Becomes Available?

• Early Giants’ 2025 Season Prognosis Paints Grim Picture

• Three Things Giants Should Not Do Regarding Their Quarterback Opening 

• Giants' 2024 Re-draft Has Them Righting a Wrong

---

New York Giants On SI Social Media

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Follow on Instagram.
• Check out the New York Giants on SI YouTube Channel.