The New York Giants and GM Joe Schoen are in win-or-get-fired mode going into the 2025 season after an embarrassing 3-14 campaign in 2024. They are looking for a new signal-caller after releasing quarterback Daniel Jones in late November, and speculation has begun that the team is interested in Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford.
Could Giants GM Joe Schoen Add Matthew Stafford And A Rookie Quarterback?
Jones was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by then-Giants GM Dave Gettleman. He posted lackluster stats across his first three seasons and had a cumulative 12-25 record in games he started. The team missed the playoffs each year and Schoen was hired in the 2022 offseason.
One of Schoen’s first decisions was to decline the fifth-year option in Jones’s contract. In 2022, Jones was in a contract year and delivered his best season as a pro, going 9-6-1 in 16 starts and making the Divisional Round of the playoffs. That year, Jones threw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing for 708 yards and seven scores. He was rewarded with a four-year, $160 million extension.
Jones started only 16 more games for the Giants due to an ACL injury in 2023 and a benching in 2024. He was 3-13 in those 16 starts and then he asked to be released in mid-November. He was the No. 32-ranked quarterback last season in PFSN’s QB+ metric and finished the season as the Minnesota Vikings’ emergency QB.
To say the Jones extension was a mistake is an understatement, as the team missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons and bottomed out. They now own the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, so where do they go from here?
Schoen recently held a press conference at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine and spoke about his plan at quarterback.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the draft. We don’t know who’s going to be there. When we get around these kids, they may or may not be a fit for us. We’re going to have to address the position somewhere,” Schoen said.
“Even if you get a young quarterback, you’d like to have a vet in the room with them to show them the ropes and how to be a pro. We’re looking at all different avenues.”
Dan Duggan of The Athletic was intrigued by another quote from Schoen.
Joe Schoen wouldn’t touch any Matthew Stafford questions directly, but I came away more convinced it’s firmly on the table. “We’re going to look for the best player available that can help us win games in ‘25” was the quote that drove it home for me.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) February 25, 2025
“We’re going to look for the best player available that can help us win games in ‘25,” Schoen said. This has Duggan believing the team will look to trade for Stafford this offseason. The Rams permitted Stafford to speak with other teams, and it’s expected the veteran will sign a big contract wherever he lands.
Stafford just turned 37 years old but was still highly effective last season, battling through offensive injuries to throw for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The Rams won the NFC West and pushed the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles to the limit in the Divisional Round.
Acquiring Stafford could be the big swing necessary for Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll to keep their jobs beyond 2025. PFSN’s Owain Jones has New York taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 3 overall pick in his latest mock draft.
Adding both guys would fit Schoen’s plan, but adding a veteran of Stafford’s caliber before the draft could change his outlook.
