With Matthew Stafford comfortable and at home with a new contract in Los Angeles, the New York Giants will have to turn their attention elsewhere for quarterback help in 2025.
Aaron Rodgers, the 41-year-old signal caller who just flamed out in two seasons with the neighboring New York Jets, is reportedly on the team’s radar this offseason. It’s a bit of a bizarre rumor, considering Rodgers is at the end of his NFL career and the Giants have won nine combined games over the last two seasons.
One would think Rodgers, a Super Bowl champion who last claimed a title 15 years ago, would be eyeing serious contenders ahead of his swan song in the league. The fit between the two parties certainly has its fair share of critics.
Skip Bayless Blasts Giants for Pursuing Aaron Rodgers, Missing on Matthew Stafford
Skip Bayless is an analyst who has made a career out of running with controversial takes that have minimal empirical ground to stand on.
However, his latest take, this time centering on the rumored Rodgers-Giants connection, isn’t just reasonable — it’s arguably correct.
CONGRATS TO THE RAMS FOR KEEPING MATT STAFFORD FOR ANOTHER SEASON. He'll be worth it. So now the Giants are interested in Aaron Rodgers? Why? Washed. What if Shedeur is there at 3?
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 28, 2025
Big Blue’s pursuit of Stafford was also a bit perplexing, but the Rams’ quarterback has shown signs of life in recent seasons and just guided Los Angeles to a playoff win over the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers has struggled to like his former self since his final season with the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers had one of the worst seasons of his career last year with the New York Jets. Leading them to just five wins on the season, it was far from the Super Bowl hopes he’d promised the franchise and its fanbase. He finished 22nd in PFSN’s QB+ metric with a 72.2 grade.
If he’s hoping for an improvement over his numbers last season (3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 63.0% completion rate, and a 90.5 passer rating), Rodgers will probably need to do better than the talent-bereft Giants, whose offensive line finished 27th in the league last year according to PFSN’s OL+ metric.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Offseason With PFSN’s Offseason Manager
Still, the Giants are desperately in need of a franchise quarterback after spending six seasons hoping Daniel Jones could fill Eli Manning’s shoes.
The upcoming free agent class of signal callers looks weak, and it’s exceedingly rare that talented field generals hit the trade block anywhere near their respective primes.
As Bayless pointed out, the Giants are armed with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. In most years, that would position them to grab a top QB prospect. This year, though, there’s just two players who fit that mold: Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
With the Tennessee Titans (No. 1) and Cleveland Browns (No. 2) both in need of a quarterback and slotted ahead of the Giants in the NFL Draft order, they may never get a chance to draft their passer of the future. In that case, having a veteran stopgap like Rodgers could help bridge the gap, but he won’t single-handedly propel the team into Super Bowl contention.
After watching Rodgers crash and burn in New York over the last two seasons, it’d be a bit jarring to see the Giants try and mend the aging quarterback in 2025. As Bayless opined, it’s probably for the best if the team commits to building toward the future this offseason.