Cam Ward: Hear from the QB who could be next to lead NY Giants
Miami quarterback Cam Ward could be the next quarterback of the New York Giants. Hear why he believes he can make every throw on the football field.
The New York Giants certainly share Tom Petty’s sentiment about waiting being the hardest part.
Those song lyrics seemingly describe the Giants’ pursuit of their next quarterback – or quarterbacks – to perfection.
“The waiting is the hardest part. Every day you see one more card. You take it on faith, you take it to the heart.”
The Giants have faith in their process, and in their hearts and minds, they believe exploring Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford before him was the right thing to do for the franchise’s immediate and long-term success.
Yet as we sit here Thursday morning, the Giants still have a one-man quarterback room after Tommy DeVito signed his exclusive rights deal last weekend. Rodgers continues to contemplate his future with offers from the Giants and the presumptive favorite Steelers, with the Vikings as a third landing spot or not, depending who you believe.
Russell Wilson, expected to be the next man up for Big Blue if Rodgers goes elsewhere, is reportedly on his way to Cleveland to meet with the Browns on Thursday. The Giants plan on welcoming Wilson to New Jersey on Thursday night and meeting with him then and into Friday, an individual with knowledge of their plans told NorthJersey.com and The Record on Thursday morning.
So what happens if Wilson is blown away by the Browns before his Giants visit commences? What is the timeline for Rodgers, and how is his perceived indecision affecting what the Giants do next? And what about the NFL Draft, which remains a priority for the Giants in their quest to find a franchise quarterback?
Here are some of those answers:
What’s the deal with Aaron Rodgers?
If you can’t compartmentalize who Rodgers is as a football player, and what some of his beliefs are, and how they conflict with how you feel, it’s never going to work.
This idea that Rodgers operates on his own timeline and it comes as sort of a shock to observers – of course he does. He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer and four-time NFL MVP who at 41 years old calls his shots. We despise uniqueness from some folks and embrace it from others.
Can he play and do his teammates and coaches respect him? If the answer is yes, it’s worth the wait.
Not all situations are the same. I still believe Rodgers does not pick the Giants. But I think they owed it to this team to give it a shot. Same with Stafford, and both the Giants and Raiders entered that process knowing he could wind up using their negotiation and interest to land the deal he wanted in a return to the Rams, which happened.
As long as the Giants are not letting his process compromise their plans, you wait. You set up the visit with Wilson, as they have, while putting other oars in the water. The moment you are forced to make a call on Wilson, that’s when you press Rodgers for an answer.
While some will criticize the Giants for being left at the proverbial altar not once but twice, Schoen did what he had to do to avoid some of the unanswered questions that ended up costing him last year. He was mocked for not making more of an effort to sign Wilson a year ago, instead holding the starting job for Daniel Jones with the chance that the Giants could still draft their quarterback of the future a month later.
That opportunity never presented itself the way Schoen hoped, so Jones stayed as QB1 and was benched after 10 games, then released upon his request. The second guessing continued for the remainder of the season, perhaps establishing a lesson that Schoen refused to let happen for the second straight year.
If the Giants land their quarterback next month – with Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart among the considerations – and Stafford/Rodgers going elsewhere makes that even more of a priority, then it was worth it, and nothing else matters. If they don’t get that right, it won’t matter which QBs they lost out on.
Russell Wilson: Where does he fit with Giants?
The 36-year-old self-professed “Mr. Unlimited” would seem to be the next man up, given the speculation for years that he and his wife, Ciara, and their family would love to relocate to the Big Apple. From “Go Hawks!” to “Broncos Country, let’s ride!” and whatever he used with the Steelers, it might be time for Wilson to come up with another catch phrase for Big Blue.
Only two quarterbacks have won a playoff game inside MetLife Stadium. The first is the best to ever play for the Giants (Eli Manning), the other won Super Bowl XLVIII there and is in line to now call the Meadowlands his home (Wilson).
Wilson met with the Giants last season before agreeing to sign with the Steelers.
The nine-time Pro Bowler changed the narrative following his exit from Denver with a solid two months of play, including an upset of the Ravens. But Wilson’s play tailed off down the stretch, leading to questions as to whether the Steelers would re-up with the future Hall of Famer.
For the Steelers, Wilson completed 63.7 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions.
If Wilson does not end up with the Giants, they could turn to another veteran such as Jameis Winston. New Jersey native Joe Flacco is another option, as he visited with the Giants on Thursday. It’s entirely possible the Giants look to sign two quarterbacks to build out the position with DeVito, giving them even more flexibility for next month’s draft. Could that be Wilson AND Flacco? Maybe. It’s not as outrageous as you may think.
Will the Giants still look to trade up with Tennessee?
There continues to be speculation about whether the Tennessee Titans will stick and pick Ward at No. 1, or will new GM Mike Borgonzi look to trade the pick. The Giants will be interested, yet Schoen can’t guarantee that will happen.
The Giants are still in the middle of their evaluation with “30” visits to East Rutherford, Pro Days and private workouts with Ward, Sanders, Dart and others to come between now and early April. They believe they have built out the starting lineup at positions of need with upgrades in the first week of free agency, securing top end talent such as safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo. Veterans Darius Slayton and Greg Van Roten are among those returnees who were valued for their presence and production.
The missing piece to what Schoen and Daboll hope is a bounce back year toward sustained success remains the quarterback, the identity or identities of whom remains uncertain. We get closer to an answer with each passing day, and the Giants are eager for closure, and an answer – from Rodgers, Wilson and anyone else they are considering.
With the most important position in the game, the Giants can attest, the waiting is undoubtedly still the hardest part.
