New York Giants News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Dec 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Giants 2025 UFA Primer: QB Drew Lock

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated Jan 12, 2025 10:00 AM ET

We begin our look at the New York Giants' own free agents. Which if any, have a good chance of being retained and why? Follow along as we bring you a new analysis every day until we get through all of them.

When the New York Giants brought in quarterback Drew Lock last offseason on a one-year deal worth $5 million after losing Tyrod Taylor to the Jets, the signing was meant to serve as a tested insurance plan for starter Daniel Jones in the event he struggled or got hurt.

Instead, his return on investment was a lot more complicated.

Drew Lock, Quarterback

Lock is a native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, where he ultimately played four seasons of college ball with the University of Missouri Tigers from 2015 to 2018. He had three seasons with 3,400+ passing yards and 23+ touchdowns and was the FBS passing touchdowns leader for his sophomore campaign.

The 28-year-old made his way to the NFL in the second round of the 2019 draft when the Denver Broncos selected him. He missed most of his rookie season with a thumb injury but returned with a vengeance to give the Broncos a 4-1 record in five starts behind four games with a 60.7 or higher completion percentage and seven touchdowns.

His most active year would follow in 2020 with 254 completions for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in 13 games, but it would arguably be labeled his worst due to the influx of turnovers tied for most in the NFL that season. He made six more starts in 2021 but barely produced anything before getting traded to Seattle in the infamous Russell Wilson deal.

In Seattle, Lock appeared in four games in relief of starter Geno Smith, including their matchup with the Giants in MetLife Stadium, where he threw two passes for 63 yards to finish steering the Seahawks to a 24-3 win on Monday Night Football.

The following offseason, the Giants landed Lock with the promise of being the No. 2 guy should something happen with Jones before his inevitable divorce from the franchise. That came early in Week 12, but instead, Lock was leapfrogged for the starting role by third-stringer Tommy DeVito, which left some confusion in the two sides' relationship.

Lock would eventually earn playing time in between DeVito, as the quarterback had his own run-in with injuries and poor play. Unfortunately, the veteran was not much better, and the Giants' backup plan for the rest of the season turned into a greater disaster as they had no competitive solution to ride out the rest of the schedule.

Now, as the team heads into the offseason, its focus is on finding its future starter via the draft or a potential bridge man via free agency. Still, it will need to decide what it wants out of the backup role as well, at a time when there are not many good options and uncertainty that it has one with Lock in the quarterback's room.

2024 Season Recap

Lock would mainly serve his duties on the Giants’ sidelines until Week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys, when he was thrown into the starting spot after Tommy DeVito suffered a forearm injury the previous Sunday against Tampa Bay.

In that game, Lock gave as valiant an effort as possible given the circumstances of the Giants offense, especially their deteriorating offensive line, but couldn’t lead them to a victory. He completed 21 of his 32 pass attempts for 178 yards and an interception while adding four rushes for 57 yards and a touchdown with his legs that led the team.

The following game against New Orleans saw Lock increase his stats with 227 yards and 59 on the ground, but he added another interception and went incomplete on his first nine throws in the Giants’ 14-11 loss that ended on a missed field goal to force overtime.

The rest of the season saw Lock tough it out to keep the Giants offense afloat but with no real impact on wins.

They went 1-7 under his watch, leaving many to wonder if the move to part ways with Daniel Jones before the offseason was worth it despite the fears of the $23 million injury guarantee.

Lock finished what could be his only year in the Big Apple with a stat line of 107 completions on 181 total pass attempts for 1,071 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions, which were both his highest numbers in the last three years.

He also added 18 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns with his legs, which was fourth among Giants players.

Why the Giants Should Keep Him

Giants head coach Brian Daboll typically likes to have some sort of continuity in the quarterback's room, and Lock could be that guy while the front office renovates it.

Lock would be returning for his second year with the organization and could be a valuable piece in helping the potential incoming rookie quarterback learn and grow in the system, assuming it remains the same with Brian Daboll.

It hasn’t been a great tenure with the Giants thus far, either, but it’s hard to throw all the blame on Lock when you consider the circumstances around him.

By the time he took over, the Giants offensive line was a mess with injuries, and the team was constantly playing from behind due to the woes on the defensive side of the football.

If the Giants wanted to walk away from Lock after just one season, there is a pool of potential replacements, but most of them don’t have any more impressive resumes as backups or part-time starters than he has from his years of service in Denver.

He has also proven he can give New York a boost in the rushing game, which is something that can’t be swept aside by modern-day quarterbacks who really thrive.

Why the Giants Shouldn’t Keep Him

The Giants are going to have to being in a bridge quarterback regardless of what they do in the draft, and that’s not going to be cheap.

Lock, meanwhile, is coming off a one-year deal that paid him at least $5 million, not counting any bonuses he might have earned given his playing time.

From a financial perspective, the Giants would be better off letting Lock go and retaining Tommy DeVito, an exclusive rights free agent, as the “continuity” guy who can help a prospective veteran bridge and, if it’s in the cards, a rookie get acclimated to the team’s offensive system.

Potential Replacements

Free Agency: Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers

Despite his decline from a starting-caliber player and only remaining with the same team once in the last five seasons, Andy Dalton is still a solid backup option. He has the experience and glimmers of quality production left in him to be a good piece behind a rookie arm.

Dalton has only played in 10+ games once since leaving the Bengals in 2019 but has still amassed three seasons with over 1,500 passing yards and eight touchdowns.

In his two years with the Panthers, he has shared work with young quarterback Bryce Young and produced over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns, 7 of them coming in six games this season.

Dalton’s current contract with Carolina was at a $5 million AAV, which matches Lock's, and this means he can be signed at a fair price for a backup. If somehow the Giants decide to go in the direction of a bridge guy, Dalton can comfortably play that role and be more competitive than Lock has been in a short time.

Again, from a financial perspective, the Giants would be better off letting Lock go and retaining Tommy DeVito, an exclusive rights free agent, as the “continuity” guy who can help a prospective veteran bridge and, if necessary, a rookie get acclimated to the team’s offensive system.

Draft: Kyle McCord, Syracuse

It might seem like a crazy thing to happen, but there is a small scenario in which the Giants don’t select their future quarterback with their first-round selection if they like Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders and both of those guys are off the board.

They might wait until later to snag an under-the-radar prospect to learn behind the aforementioned bridge guy, and Kyle McCord, the Syracuse signal caller who recently announced he was declaring for the draft, could be an option.

McCord, a transfer originally from Ohio State, is coming off the best campaign of his college career with the Orange. In 12 games, he posted a 65.5 completion percentage for 4,307 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

He was one of the best deep passing arms in FBS ball, tallying over 1,100 yards and a big-time throw rate of 5.1 percent, which was among the top 50 players in the nation.

The one concern is his inclination to pressure, which had a 17.4 percent share in pressure to sack conversion rate this season, but he has a bunch of other intangibles that were on display and helped bring some competent football back to Syracuse and could do the same for the Giants.

Keep or Dump?

Regardless of what the Giants do in the draft, they’re going to need a veteran bridge quarterback who can start and win games for them. Lock had that opportunity, winning just one of his starts, which for another $5+ million per year contract just doesn’t seem like a smart investment.

Since they will likely address the main quarterback issue through the draft, it may behoove them to investigate the quarterback free agent market and see if they can recruit a more successful guy to join their ranks and possibly tutor the rookie addition.