The New York Giants have plenty of options if they want to sign a veteran quarterback in free agency. Whether all of those options are of high enough quality to sustain a winning culture is questionable.
Reports indicate general manager Joe Schoen is letting four-time NFL MVP take his time in deciding where he wants to sign. The 41-year-old supposedly wants the Minnesota Vikings but they don't seem to want him back. That's leaving New York and the Pittsburgh Steelers in limbo while other veteran free agents stand in line behind Rodgers.
Among those standing in line are Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Jameis Winston who all met with New York within the past five days. These would be the likeliest backup plans for Schoen if a Rodgers deal goes South (or North, rather).
But one option that was supposed to meet with New York ditched them in the most brutal way possible.
Mason Rudolph blew off a Zoom meeting with Giants to sign for Steelers
According to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo, free agent signal caller Mason Rudolph was supposed to have a Zoom meeting with the Giants until the news broke on Mar. 13 that he would instead sign with the Steelers. Basically, he blew off a date with New York to sign with his ex.
From @gmfb: Jameis Winston meets with the #Giants, who are comfortable giving Aaron Rodgers more time to decide on his future. pic.twitter.com/qip85n20uo
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 18, 2025
Rudolph spent four seasons as a backup in Pittsburgh before starting five games in 2024 for the Tennessee Titans. Presumably he'll backup whichever veteran (Rodgers or Wilson) that doesn't sign with New York.
The Giants do have a QB on their roster already, however. One-time fan favorite Tommy DeVito was signed to a one-year, $1.03-million deal on March 8 but it's unlikely he's considered anything other than the emergency backup.
The waiting game between teams and Rodgers is going to determine how the rest of the dominos fall but the fact that New York is digging deep into the bag of available passers shows that Schoen is seriously mulling any and all contingencies. He should be credited with that kind of preparation, especially considering there likely won't be any first round-caliber QBs available after Miami's Cam Ward is selected first overall by the Tennessee Titans.