The New York Giants are about to illuminate the “quarterbacks for hire” sign at the front of their team facilities in East Rutherford as the NFL free agency window draws near, and they have only one arm currently stationed on the 2025 roster.
Likewise, several seasoned gunslingers will be eager to answer the call and throw their name into the ring in a quest to reinvigorate their NFL careers that are hanging in the balance of finding a new home in the league.
Some candidates are former highly touted quarterback prospects who just couldn’t adjust to the demands of the professional landscape and overcome their faults, as was seen with Daniel Jones in his six years with the Giants.
Meanwhile, others have experienced some success at this level but haven’t been able to enter and remain in the spotlight in their current franchises, pushing a desire to migrate to a new city for a refresh that could put them back into the league-wide discussion.
Joining the latter party is Pittsburgh Steelers impending free-agent quarterback Justin Fields. Fields has seen his NFL tenure take some twists and turns and was recently named by Bleacher Report as a player who could earn the rejuvenation he seeks by signing with the Giants this offseason.
The caveat to such a partnership between New York and Fields is that his addition isn’t a surefire declaration that he will be implanted into the team’s starting role in 2025.
“Teaming up with Malik Nabers could work wonders, but that third overall pick is a big elephant in the room. That said, there could be a window before a rookie gets his chance,” the outlet’s Brad Gagnon wrote.
A fourth-year quarterback likely heading for his third destination since being drafted 11th overall in 2021, Fields’ professional journey has been one marred by lackluster offenses and a lack of stability at the helm.
In fact, it almost started in the Big Apple before general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll arrived one year later.
The Giants, then run by former GM Dave Gettleman, had the No. 11 pick after a disappointing 4-13 campaign that saw them own one of the most inefficient offenses in the entire NFL and finish third behind Daniel Jones.
Instead of taking the highly ranked prospect as a potential replacement for Jones, the Giants traded back with the Chicago Bears, assuming their No. 20 selection and using it to draft wide receiver Kadarius Toney, whose tenure in New York need not be recalled as an extremely bad one.
With the coveted dual-threat passer in their offensive system, the thought was that Fields would ignite a spark in Chicago that hadn’t been seen more than twice in the previous ten seasons. Still, the young man couldn’t overcome the obstacles from a poor offensive line and mediocre target crew.
Fields’ first three seasons in the Windy City would yield a 39-30 touchdown touchdown-to-interception ratio, his best coming in the 2023 season when he completed 16 scores and committed a career-low nine passing infractions.
In his farewell year, he also added career-high numbers in completion percentage (51.4%) and passing yards (2,562) as the Bears finished 7-10 and were heading towards eyeing his replacement with the first overall pick in the 2024 draft.
The Bears traded Fields to the Steelers last offseason, declining his fifth-year rookie option to allow him a one-year tryout alongside fellow signee Russell Wilson, with whom he competed in training camp.
After a sudden injury to Wilson ahead of the season opener, Fields was thrust into the starting job, and it looked like he had found the new chance he craved.
Behind the new gunslinger, Pittsburgh went on a 4-2 run to open this past season. Fields threw for over 1,100 yards, five touchdowns, and just one interception and added 231 yards and five scores on the ground.
That start began what would be a top-15 offensive season for the black and Gold, but the team would ultimately go back to Wilson upon his return from injury.
Now, the Steelers organization is forced to decide which of the two quarterbacks they want to keep under center for the upcoming season, and some recent reports seem to indicate that they might lean toward retaining the veteran Wilson, who steered the ship to a 10-7 finish and playoff berth that ran into the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card.
If that ultimately becomes their decision and Fields hits the open market in March, the Giants should be a top suitor for his talents. It is very hard to find a better version of the dual-threat option defining the best modern-day quarterbacks in the NFL, one in Fields, who has continued to improve his production despite obstacles in his first two stops.
Not to mention that the Giants regime has had positive remarks about Fields in his recent matchups against the franchise, the latest coming in the 2022 season when he threw for 174 yards and ran for another 52 in a 20-12 loss.
He was a top-15 arm in total production while facing pressure that season, which would give him a leg up in navigating a potential entry into the Giants' huddle.
The biggest issue is the likelihood that the Giants will take a rookie quarterback with the No. 3 pick a month after Fields would potentially get signed in free agency. However, it is no guarantee that he will be NFL-ready, and the Giants are facing pressure to earn some more wins than the three they had in 2024 to keep the current regime alive.
In this scenario, there is a good chance that Fields will take part in another open competition in camp but will land the nod to start the season.
With a healthy offensive line and an unfamiliar slew of weapons around him, headlined by an electric No. 1 option in Malik Nabers, it could create a more explosive offense for the Giants with Fields’ improved niftiness under center reignited to stay there lest he get injured.
If the Giants are hesitant to commit long to Fields in anticipation of eventually handing over the reins to the rookie gunslinger, Spotrac is projecting the former to carry a market value of $6.4 million per year into the free agency frenzy. This is a very inexpensive deal for a quarterback-needy team to yield a bridge man and see how things go via the draft board this spring.
The decision on Fields’ time in Pittsburgh hasn’t been finalized yet, leaving the door open for a change of heart and his services remaining there.
A divorce after a one-year swing would be one of the better outcomes for New York and their search for a passing reboot, especially if the draft board somehow doesn’t go in their favor and they have to pivot towards 2026.
