Giants Done at Quarterback? New Analysis isn't Buying It (Nor Are We)

The Giants added veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to their room, but they are still missing their long-term franchise signal caller.

Quarterback Russell Wilson (3, left) and Jameis Winston during 2016 Pro Bowl photo day at Turtle Bay Resort. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Despite the New York Giants adding two veteran quarterbacks (Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston), Pro Football Focus isn't buying the notion that the Giants are done adding to the position.

On the surface, one might suggest they’re prepared to ride out the 2025 season with experienced hands under center. However, a closer look at those deals' structure and long-term outlook could tell a different story as it comes closer to the draft date.

Wilson’s one-year contract maxes out at $21 million, but only $10 million is guaranteed. Winston’s two-year pact reportedly comes in at $4 million per year. That’s $14 million guaranteed between both quarterbacks, the same amount as former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones got from the Colts to be a backup.

That’s not what teams pay starting quarterbacks in today’s NFL. It’s what they pay stop-gap quarterbacks.

This gives one cause to pause and agree with the recent analysis that refutes the idea that these signings take the Giants out of the quarterback market, especially with the No. 3 overall pick in their pocket. 

If Shedeur Sanders or Cameron Ward is sitting there when New York is on the clock, the team should consider pulling the trigger. If they choose to take the best player available at their first selection, come back in the second selection and take a player like Jaxson Dart, a player they have been linking to a lot in the past few weeks.

At this stage of his career, Wilson is a bridge player who can still perform at a high level in the right circumstances despite his role here, most likely being that of Kirk Cousins. He was in Atlanta last season, seeing him sit on the bench to end the season. 

As for Winston, while he’s been a very talented player in this league, he has never consistently proven he can be a long-term answer. Neither signing nor signing should deter the Giants from targeting a potential franchise quarterback if one they believe in is still on the board when it's time for them to make their pick.

It’s about being smart. The Giants finally have a premium draft pick in a quarterback-heavy class, and they've spent the last few seasons cycling through subpar options under center. Wilson and Winston are the latest in that line savvy veterans, but far from removed from future cornerstones of a franchise.

These signings give the Giants the flexibility they’ve lacked in previous years at the position. If they draft Sanders, for example, they don’t have to throw him into the fire in Week 1. He can sit, learn, and develop behind proven veterans who have led their own franchises. 

If he shows he’s ready earlier than expected? Great, the team can pivot. Winston becomes a tradable asset. Wilson can slide into a backup role. Wilson, who came into the league under similar circumstances as his, was taken in the third round after the team signed Matt Flynn the offseason coming into that season. 

The quarterback position is too important to approach passively, and signing two short-term vets shouldn’t stop the front office from making a move that could shape the franchise's next decade.

If anything, the Giants are operating like a smart organization, layering talent and building optionality into the most critical position on the field. But the job isn’t finished. This team still needs a long-term answer, not just a temporary fix.

No one believes the Giants are done at quarterback this year. And they shouldn’t be. The Giants can’t count on being in the top five or six of the draft order every year to where they're in reaching distance for a quarterback. If Sanders, Ward, or Dart is there when they pick, and they believe one of those is their guy, they need to take him. 

Having this type of decision is a luxury not too many franchises have been able to conjure up. Time will tell how and in what direction the Giants brass will turn the tide of this franchise.  

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