Could Giants' draft preference cause them to miss out on Rams' Matthew Stafford?

Even before a report revealed that the Los Angeles Rams had given the agent for quarterback Matthew Stafford permission to speak with other teams about his value, some members of the football community linked him with the New York Giants even though the Giants presumably could select either Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders with the third overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

For a piece published Monday morning, Giants insider Jordan Raanan of ESPN shared which of the to-be rookies people within the club allegedly intend to target this spring. 

"Multiple league insiders are convinced the Giants have their sights on Sanders, but that would not necessarily keep the team from targeting a more experienced option at the position. The Giants had Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner as their starter when they drafted Eli Manning with the No. 1 pick (in 2004)," Raanan explained. 

It makes sense that Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll would want to have a Super Bowl champion such as Stafford mentor either Sanders or Ward. However, Stafford could have second thoughts about putting pen to paper on a contract extension with the Giants if he learns the club is serious about spending the draft's third selection on any quarterback, let alone on one who is, at worst, the second-best signal-caller in his class. 

Last March, Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed to leave the Minnesota Vikings for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Less than two months later, the Falcons stunned Cousins by making Michael Penix Jr. the eighth overall pick of the 2024 draft. Penix replaced Cousins in the Atlanta starting lineup this past December, and the Falcons are expected to release Cousins in March. 

Stafford has earned a fortune from his NFL contracts alone and may not want to move his family to the other side of the country just to spend one season starting for a team that finished the 2024 campaign at 3-14. While the Green Bay Packers have previously sat highly-drafted quarterbacks behind future Hall of Famers for multiple seasons, history shows general managers and head coaches in danger of losing their jobs often turn to first-round picks ahead of schedule.

As recently as Monday morning, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated named the Pittsburgh Steelers as a potential landing spot for Stafford. Pittsburgh is coming off a wild-card playoff appearance, could need a 2025 Week 1 starter if both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are permitted to reach free agency next month and likely has no real chance to get either Ward or Sanders. On paper, the Steelers are a much better fit than the Giants for a win-now quarterback such as Stafford. 

There is, of course, no guarantee that Sanders or Ward will be available for New York at pick No. 3. The Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns hold the draft's first two choices, and both clubs need long-term answers at the position. If, however, the Giants are serious about Sanders holding up a Big Blue jersey on the night of April 24 and believe he'll be on the board after the draft's first two selections are made, Stafford could politely decline to join the NFC East side.