New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen signed two veteran quarterbacks during free agency, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, moves he said on Wednesday lessen the need to select a signal-caller high in next week's 2025 NFL Draft.
"With the signing of those two players, I think we put ourselves in a position where I don't think that's mandatory," Schoen said during his pre-draft news conference. "The two guys we signed have played a lot of ball. I do think we upgraded that room compared to where it was a year ago. I like the guys that we have. Tommy (DeVito) is still in there and won games for us, too. He's still developing. So, we are happy with the makeup of the room right now."
Wilson and Winston offer starting experience, and by well-stocking the QB room, Schoen has given himself options. That's what all general managers should use free agency for -- ensure they're not pigeonholed come draft time.
Just because it's not "mandatory" doesn't mean Schoen won't or shouldn't draft a QB. He's simply given himself options by inking two 30-something placeholders. The question will be whether he and his staff deem a quarterback worthy of taking at No. 3 overall on April 24.
The Big Blue GM noted that even if the club passes on QBs early, he could add on at some point over seven rounds, with a cheap backup as an option.
"I don't know what everyone else is dealing with and how the other 31 teams see their boards," he said. "Yeah, if the value matches up with what we have on a player and there's an opportunity to take any position, we'll do it. (I'm) not going to force it if it's not the right value. If the board lines up and we are on the clock and that's the position that we want to go with, we'll go with. I'm not going to get backed into a corner like that."
Schoen dismissed the notion on Wednesday that the Giants holding private workouts with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and other quarterbacks late in the process is a sign of division in the facility. The GM said it's just how it worked out with the players' schedules.
Entering his fourth draft since taking over in New York in 2022, Schoen hasn't drafted a quarterback in any round. He did, however, pay former first-rounder Daniel Jones, selected by the previous administration, a big-money extension in 2023.
The 45-year-old GM noted that he'd like a franchise signal-caller, but won't force it.
"You'd like to have a young franchise quarterback," he said. "I think every general manager would. Everyone wants that. But the value has to be right. If you get that one wrong ... you just got to get that right."
Schoen got it wrong paying Jones. Big Blue paid for it with a disappointing 2024 campaign that landed the the No. 3 overall pick. Schoen must nail his QB decisions in 2025. Those started with two veterans. In a week, we'll see if he adds a rookie to the mix.
