The New York Giants have been struggling for stability at the quarterback position for years and are coming off a disastrous 2-14 season after benching and cutting Daniel Jones from the roster in November.
The front office would be under tremendous pressure to acquire a signal-caller this offseason, and one NFL insider believes the Giants would be a perfect fit for Sam Darnold.
Sam Darnold Described Best Solution for Giants QB Woes
Darnold, who is ranked 10th in PFSN’s Top 100 Free Agent rankings, was set to be J.J. McCarthy’s backup in Minnesota before the rookie suffered a season-ending injury last preseason. The veteran stepped in his absence and had one of the best regular seasons of his career, leading the Vikings to an unexpected 14 wins.
Darnold threw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 102.5 passer rating and finished 12th in PFSN’s QB+ metric. His performance earned him a Pro Bowl selection as well, yet Darnold’s late-season struggles were alarming.
After leading the Vikings to the Wild Card round against the Los Angeles Rams, he completed just 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown, and an interception and was sacked nine times, tying an NFL playoff record as Minnesota crashed out 27-9.
Due to Darnold’s postseason struggles and Minnesota’s first-round pick investment in McCarthy, the Vikings are likely moving on from the veteran. Thus, Tyler Dragon of USA Today believes Darnold could land with the Giants this offseason.
“Darnold enjoyed career-highs in every significant statistical quarterback category this season, including yards (4,319), touchdowns (35) and passer rating (102.5), but he regressed in Week 18 and during Minnesota’s wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He had a 55.5 passer rating in the regular-season finale and followed that performance up with an interception, a fumble and indecisive play in the postseason.
“In totality, Darnold’s 2024 season was much improved from what we’ve previously seen from the journeyman. The Vikings could re-sign Darnold, but will they really sit J.J. McCarthy another year?
“I believe Darnold should return to New York, but this time in a blue uniform.”
While Darnold wouldn’t be a long-term solution for the Giants, he’s better than their current QB options, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito.
The addition of Darnold could ensure another Giants prediction comes true. In PFSN’s bold predictions for the 2025 season, the Giants are expected to “win a pair of divisional games and impact the race for the title, even if they aren’t a true playoff threat.”
However, New York will need significant improvements on offense to make that leap. The Giants finished the 2024 season with the 31st-ranked offense in PFSN’s Offense+ metric, earning a D- grade.
Nonetheless, stability at quarterback would go a long way toward making New York a more competitive force in the NFC East, and if Darnold is given a potent offensive line to work with, they could be making a case for the playoffs as well.