Joe Schoen made it sound like additional phone lines need to be installed in the Giants’ general manager’s office.
After months of attention devoted to whether the Giants will trade up from the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to acquire their next quarterback, Schoen threw a curveball last week by detailing the trade-down market.
“I didn’t think I’d have as much activity at No. 6 from people behind me as we’ve gotten,” he said.
Was it a smokescreen to drive up the price for one interested team? Well, when combined with Schoen’s encouragingly accurate self-assessment that the Giants are “not one or two players away,” it sounded more like laying the groundwork with fans to accept passing on a consensus top-four-graded quarterback or top-three-graded receiver.
The Giants crisscrossed the country doing homework on quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy and Drake Maye. It might all be for naught.
If all four are gone by No. 6, the Giants’ interest in a trade-down could increase as suitors for the pick decrease.
If three are gone — a likely scenario — and the Giants are not enamored with the leftover option, the Giants could trade down to a team that feels differently.
Here is a closer look at potential trade partners, relevant past trade returns and how it could play out:
Trade partners
Falcons (No. 8): Are they considering The Green Bay Model of drafting a quarterback to sit behind $180 million acquisition Kirk Cousins? Maye and McCarthy need developmental time, and the earliest moving on from Cousins makes sense is 2026 ($25 million dead cap).
Jets (No. 10): The crosstown rivals made a second-round trade in 2022.
The Jets are in win-now mode and could want their choice of pass-catchers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze or Brock Bowers rather than whichever falls to No. 10. The problem is that the Jets don’t have a second-round pick in 2024 or third-rounder in 2026 to offer.
Vikings (No. 11 and No. 23): A strong candidate to package their two first-rounders to move in front of the Giants, there also is a scenario where the Vikings can’t land any of the first three quarterbacks selected but like the fourth option more than the Giants. In that case, the Vikings might wait until No. 6 to strike because the cost is slightly less than trading up to No. 4 or No. 5.
Broncos (No. 12) and Raiders (No. 13): The same rationale as the Vikings — only without an extra first-rounder in their arsenal and with more motivation to be active and jump over Minnesota.
Bills (No. 28): As unlikely as it is for the Giants to drop this far down the round, a deal between Schoen and his general manager mentor, Brandon Beane, is never out of the question. Especially not after the Bills traded Stefon Diggs, creating a need for a No. 1 receiver.
The Julio Jones trade in 2011 is a remarkably similar precedent.
Trade returns
What is No. 6 worth?
Here are recent trades for No. 6, as well as the two most recent trades that involved teams coming up for quarterbacks one pick in either direction. Schoen said it’s “probably true” that teams trade more assets as a tax when coming up for a quarterback when compared to other positions.
2023: Lions traded No. 6 and a third-rounder (No. 81) to the Cardinals for No. 12, a second-rounder (No. 34) and a fifth-rounder (No. 168).
2021: Eagles traded No. 6 and a fifth-rounder (No. 156) to the Dolphins for No. 12, a fourth-rounder (No. 123) and a future first-rounder.
2018: Buccaneers traded No. 7 and a seventh-rounder (No. 255) to the Bills for No. 12 and two second-rounders (No. 53 and No. 56).
2012: Rams traded No. 6 to the Cowboys for No. 14 and a second-rounder (No. 45).
2011: Browns traded No. 6 to the Falcons for No. 27, a second-rounder (No. 59), a fourth-rounder (No. 124) and future first- and fourth-rounders.
2009: Browns traded No. 5 to the Jets for No. 17, a second-rounder (No. 52) and three role players
Examples
By dropping within the top-10 picks, the Giants leave the door open to one or two of Bowers, Nabers and Odunze while adding a mid-round pick to fill a starting lineup hole at cornerback or safety.
Moving into the No. 11-13 range could bring into consideration the consensus top-two cornerbacks (Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold) to be Day 1 starters opposite 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks.
Marrying need to best available suggests speedy big-play receiver Brian Thomas Jr. or one of three offensive tackles (Olu Fashanu, JC Latham and Taliese Fuaga). No safeties are expected to be top-40 picks.
A Giants-Vikings trade could net a package like Thomas (No. 11) and defensive back Cooper DeJean (No. 23), or Arnold (No. 11) and receiver Adonai Mitchell (No. 23).
A Giants-Broncos trade could result in Thomas or Arnold, another starter at No. 76 or No. 121 and a future first-round pick — or even a package that includes All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain who reportedly could be available.
A Giants-Raiders trade could look like Thomas (No. 13), cornerback Max Melton (No. 44) and safety Kamren Kinchens (No. 148).
