As the 2025 NFL Draft rapidly approaches later this month, all eyes remain on what the New York Giants will do with the No. 3 overall pick—especially if they’ll take a quarterback there or not.
The other question, aside from whether the Giants take a quarterback at all in the draft, is if they’ll even address the position. After all, the Giants—under Joe Schoen as general manager and Brian Daboll as head coach—have yet to draft a single quarterback in three consecutive drafts.
What if the Giants dared to do the unthinkable and decided not to draft a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft?
So then, what would be the future plan at quarterback—especially since Russell Wilson is signed for one season, Tommy DeVito is on a one-year deal and may be fighting for his roster spot in camp, and Jameis Winston is signed for two seasons? Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report suggested the Giants trade with Indianapolis for Anthony Richardson.
“However, Wilson was brought in on just a one-year deal, and while the G-Men also added Jameis Winston in free agency, neither is a long-term solution under center in New York. In fact, there are mock drafts that still predict the Giants will select a quarterback with the third overall pick. Much like with the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, taking a run at Richardson could allow the Giants to have their cake and eat it. With Wilson on the roster, the young quarterback could take a season to slow things down and develop as a passer under an offensive-minded former Coach of the Year in Brian Daboll. The third pick could then be used on Carter, Sanders or as bait for a trade that could land New York an extra first-rounder next year. Compensation could be tricky here. But given how aggressive the Giants have been at quarterback this offseason, Schoen might as well kick the tires on this move, too.”
Earlier in the offseason, the Giants considered the trade route for their next quarterback when they tried to make a deal to get Matthew Stafford, but Stafford decided to remain with the Los Angeles Rams. After that, the Giants went the free-agent route, which is how they ended up with Wilson and Winston.
There seems to be a growing notion that the Giants may look elsewhere at quarterback with their top pick. And they could truly look elsewhere for a young quarterback if they don’t like the current options in this year’s draft, which is where Richardson potentially comes in.
Thus far, it hasn’t worked out in Indianapolis for Richardson, who found himself on the bench in 2024 in favor of Joe Flacco. Heading into 2025, Richardson is seen as competing for his job with former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year deal with the Colts in free agency.
Richardson’s completion percentage was below 50 percent in 2024, and he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. Combined with injuries, that’s why Flacco ended up taking over. The Colts are clearly down on their former first-round pick, and bringing in Jones could be a sign they no longer see Richardson as a starter.
The situation with Richardson and the Colts could be similar to what happened with the San Fransisco 49ers and Trey Lance, who eventually fell out of favor and was traded to the Cowboys. Richardson, however, is still just 22 years old—maybe a fresh start is what he needs.
A fair question is: when would the Giants consider making this kind of trade? Do they use one of their Day 2 or Day 3 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft to make a deal with the Colts? Or do they wait until after the draft and deal away a 2026 pick?
If the Giants don’t love any of the quarterback prospects in this draft, using a pick to make the deal before the draft might make sense. Ultimately, it could be the biggest sign yet that they’re considering passing on selecting a quarterback for the fourth straight season.
And yet, Richardson is still young enough to fall into the prospect category—only he brings actual NFL experience the 2025 class doesn’t. He’s also still on his rookie contract, so the cap number is extremely manageable if the Giants wanted to take a chance.
On the surface, trading for Richardson might not seem like the most attractive option for the Giants. But if they’re not sold on this year’s draft class, and they want to stash a young quarterback behind two experienced vets, then Richardson could be the right swing to take.
