Giants Can Learn Jets Lesson From Afar

For one, head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen’s seats are already hot. There’s no guarantee they make it to the trade deadline, let alone the end of the season, if things go bad. Owner John Mara saw the planes flying over MetLife Stadium, the reaction to Barkley leaving town, and the pessimism that came with keeping the regime in place for another year. Rodgers, regardless of his production, will bring extra media attention, likely in ways the Giants would rather not deal with.

Every post-Mike McCarthy coach presiding over Rodgers has tried to instill their own culture. Matt LaFleur had to separate himself from his predecessor. Robert Saleh was all gas, no brake until the very end. Daboll has spent three seasons trying to earn his team’s trust, and at least publicly, he seems to have it. However, Rodgers is the culture. When things go bad, which they very well could, it won’t be the pillars of Daboll’s character holding the locker room together. It will be a quarterback in his last season trying to end his career on his terms.

Further, Rodgers comes with the win-now expectations of, say, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. He’ll likely try to bring in receiver Davante Adams (which isn’t necessarily a negative) and will – on paper – be one less excuse for Daboll and Schoen to point to. By expected points added per dropback and success rate, though, Rodgers’ production was far closer to fellow free agent Russell Wilson than Stafford.

This is a bridge quarterback, albeit one of the most high-profile passers of all time.

Perhaps that’s all Rodgers will be: a cheap, experienced option to hold down the fort for a rookie quarterback. That's a fine process. There are also several similar quality bridge quarterbacks available in free agency, passers that come with fewer risk factors, more conventional personalities, and possibly a lesser price tag.

Signing Rodgers wouldn’t be an utter failure. That doesn’t mean the Giants should be eager to add free agency’s most polarizing passer.