Last in a three-part series on the Giants’ quarterback issue.
What if the Giants’ next quarterback is somebody they let slip away four years ago?
Would it be fate or foolish for the Giants to sign Justin Fields in free agency after they used their time on the clock with the No. 11 pick during the 2021 NFL Draft to finalize the trade that landed Fields with the Bears?
It’s not Plan A. It might not be Plan B.
But what if projected first-round draft picks Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are taken before the Giants’ turn at No. 3 and a bidding war for top free agent Sam Darnold drives the cost too high?
Most of the rest of the free-agent quarterbacks — at least before one or all of Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr join the market — are the bridges who seemingly change teams every year or two: Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota, Jimmy Garoppolo, Joe Flacco, Mason Rudolph and other journeymen.
Do any even represent an upgrade over re-signing in-house free agents Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito?
It’s not an inspiring list for the hot-seat duo of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, or for disillusioned fans, though Fields’ first foray into free agency adds a layer of mystery after his three seasons with the Bears and one as the Steelers’ six-start placeholder for Russell Wilson.
He owns a career 14-30 record with 45 touchdowns and 31 interceptions as a passer and 50.2 yards per game and 19 touchdowns as a rusher.
“I think Justin would be a better option than most for New York because he’s athletic,” an AFC pro personnel scout told The Post. “They are going to struggle to protect the quarterback unless they do an overhaul of the offensive line.
“He has the ability to improvise and make some off-schedule plays and maybe make it work. His skill set may be close to what Daboll wants to do offensively.”
If the Giants start making plans for Sanders and Ward to go to the Titans and Browns atop the draft, pairing a low-risk second-round draft prospect like Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart or Quinn Ewers with a second-tier free agent could create competition for the starting job.
In other words, the Giants and Fields might need each other unlike when Daniel Jones was entrenched as the starter in 2021 so then-general manager Dave Gettelman traded down to pick No. 20, added an extra first-round pick, and Kadarius Toney and Evan Neal ultimately became the return package.
What would it take to acquire the 25-year-old Fields nowadays?
Well, he was on the trade block last season and league interest was so minimal despite a reasonable $3.23 million salary that the Bears accepted a conditional sixth-round draft pick.
One league source with salary-cap expertise predicted a one-year flier matching Darnold’s $10 million rate last offseason or an inflation-adjusted version of Mariota’s two-year, $17.6 million contract with the Raiders in 2020.
“Fields eliminated a lot of the negatives this year,” the source said. “He put the ball in harm’s way less. He didn’t take quite as many ugly sacks. There were signs of improvement. He worked in on packages in the playoff game. From a cerebral standpoint, it was just a cleaner environment.
“I would lean toward the Darnold example for him. Why lock yourself into multiple years? Maybe you do get to play 10 games, and then you are locked in on that second year and the team has all that leverage.”
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The next Darnold?
Signing Darnold to a three-year contract north of $100 million is like buying a stock at its highest price.
The ideal strategy is to identify the 2025 version of Darnold — a former starter who was exposed to good coaching as a backup and could outperform his contract with another chance to start in a change of scenery.
Who is that guy?
“I hitched my wagon on Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold when they went through struggles because they were on bad teams, and most quarterbacks in football would’ve looked bad on the teams they played for,” NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms said.
“The one thing with those guys compared to some of the other guys we are talking about is, I could always see starting quarterback-caliber traits with those guys. The others, you are like, ‘He’s got a little stuff I like, but I don’t know if I trust him here or there.’ ”
Various league sources suggested free agents Carson Wentz, Mac Jones and Garoppolo as possibilities.
Trades for the Eagles’ Kenny Pickett, Texans’ Davis Mills and Seahawks’ Sam Howell entering their respective walk years also were mentioned, but Giants-Eagles deals are rare.
“They need a bounce-back guy because they do need to win,” one NFC college scout said, “and I don’t think you can roll out a second-round pick.”
Like Fields, Jones is a member of the busted 2021 five-quarterback first-round draft class who was traded last offseason for a sixth-round pick.
Unlike Fields, Jones is a former Pro Bowler who led the Patriots to the playoffs as a rookie before his development was slowed by making defensive coordinator Matt Patricia into his offensive play-caller.
Jones went 2-5 with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions for the Jaguars in 2024 but combatted some of the character concerns that were attached to him with the Patriots.
“His play was some good, some bad,” one league source said. “He tried to do too much and put the ball in harm’s way the first couple games. Then he settled down. He is Mr. Positive, but sometimes he’s too emotional, and that gets him in trouble.”
Carousel of caretakers
Winston (seven), Flacco (six), Dalton (five), Brissett (five) and Rudolph (five) all started games last season.
All but Winston were signed, in part, to be mentors to young quarterbacks, which the Giants will need regardless of whether they draft a first-rounder or mid-rounder to develop.
When Anthony Richardson floundered, Flacco, who was a valued commodity with the Browns this time last year, wasn’t able to duplicate his 2023 NFL Comeback of the Year production after moving to the Colts.
The Panthers’ Bryce Young and Patriots’ Drake Maye showed promising flashes. Did that have anything to do with respective backups Dalton and Brissett?
Winston’s biggest contribution was showing the Browns that Jerry Jeudy can be a No. 1 receiver with the right quarterback.
What if you want to be in the mix for a quarterback in the more highly regarded 2026 NFL Draft without an obvious tank?
“Jameis is good enough to keep your pass-catchers happy because he can make plays, you can evaluate your offense and your young players around him, he sells the fans a more exciting brand of football,” the salary-cap expert said, “but he also makes bad decisions and loses you games.”
Hey, this path is called “Plan C” for a reason.