The New York Giants and New York Jets have both played underwhelming football in the Meadowlands for years. They’ve combined for just two playoff berths and one playoff victory in the past 13 years, all of which came from the Giants.
Despite paying an annual salary of nearly $40 million to their respective quarterbacks, both teams continued to be marred by subpar performances from their passing offenses. Now, both New Jersey-based teams are hoping to find a franchise quarterback who can lead them out of the darkness.
The Giants were in the driver’s seat for the top overall pick with just two games remaining in the regular season. They won a meaningless contest in Week 17, which ultimately dropped them to the third pick. The Jets, similarly, dropped to the seventh pick after picking up a win in the final game of their disappointing campaign. Now, both teams are looking to climb back up the draft board.
Giants and Jets may be bidding for Titans No. 1 pick
The Giants and Jets have both expressed interest in acquiring the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano. The Tennessee Titans, who currently hold the top pick, are reportedly open to trading down, but the price won’t be cheap.
The Giants are in a much better position to trade for the pick than the Jets. Big Blue currently holds the No. 3 overall pick while Gang Green has the No. 7 overall pick. Still, it may be wiser for both teams to opt for patience instead, especially since this year’s draft isn’t considered to be particularly strong at quarterback.
Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders are considered to be the top two prospects, and there are split opinions on which one deserves to go first. The group of quarterbacks behind them are considerably lower, which means teams outside of the top three picks likely won’t have an opportunity to grab a first-round quarterback this year.
While that could increase the bidding for Tennessee’s coveted pick, teams that have traded up to select a quarterback haven’t ended up doing well in recent years. The Carolina Panthers traded up to select Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but the first-round pick they sacrificed rewarded the Chicago Bears with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which they used to select quarterback Caleb Williams. In 2021, the San Francisco 49ers mortgaged their future on quarterback Trey Lance. They regretted that decision within one season.