The New York Giants will almost certainly acquire a veteran quarterback shortly after the new league year opens on March 12 as general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll prepare for what will be a must-win season regarding their futures with the organization.
For a piece published on Tuesday, Giants insider Dan Duggan of The Athletic suggested that current Pittsburgh Steelers backup signal-caller Justin Fields could become a revelation working with Daboll, similar to how Sam Darnold recently enjoyed a breakout season playing under Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
“Fields fits that mold as a top draft prospect who has yet to realize his full potential,” Duggan explained. “At minimum, Fields could run the 2022 version of the Giants’ offense to raise the floor at quarterback after two straight disastrous seasons at the position. There’s still upside with Fields, who turns 26 in March. [Pro Football Focus] projects a one-year, $11M contract, which makes Fields much more appealing than other options. Landing a bridge quarterback with upside at a reasonable price is the ideal outcome for the Giants this offseason.”
In his first season in charge, Daboll guided the 2022 Giants to a postseason berth and a road playoff win with quarterback Daniel Jones running the offense. According to ESPN stats, Jones ended that regular season ranked sixth in the NFL among qualified players with a 62.9 adjusted QBR and 15th with 3,205 passing yards. He was fifth among quarterbacks with 708 rushing yards, and he was responsible for a total of 22 touchdowns (15 passing, seven rushing).
Most recently, Fields went 4-2 as Pittsburgh’s QB1 across the first six weeks of the 2024 season. Over those games, he completed 66.25 percent of 160 pass attempts for 1,106 yards with five touchdowns and one interception to go along with 231 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.
Pittsburgh is reportedly interested in re-signing Fields before he reaches free agency in March, but he could want to explore the open market after he was benched in favor of Russell Wilson from Week 7 of this past regular season through Pittsburgh’s wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
While some stories have linked the Giants with Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, he may prefer to stay put through at least 2025. Duggan mentioned that Big Blue “would likely need to part with Day 2 draft capital and then give Stafford a market-rate deal to land the two-time Pro Bowler” next month, while Fields could be signed for the price of a “prove it” contract if he decides he wants to leave Pittsburgh.
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