New $45 million Giants safety Jevón Holland said he did not ask the team what their plans were at quarterback before agreeing to sign in New York.
That’s not his job.
“No, I didn’t ask them what their quarterback plans were,” Holland said on Zoom Thursday. “My job as a defender is to give the ball back to the quarterback… I know they’re going to pick the right guy for the organization, for the team, and he’s going to help us win.”
That was a good answer, but it was also a lot of confidence to show in an empty seat.
Money talks in free agency, so Holland and corner Paulson Adebo ($54 million) signed big contracts with the Giants this week. And wide receiver Darius Slayton returned on a three-year, $36 million deal while admitting “I understand why people would be surprised” that he’s back.
The uncertainty at quarterback is impossible to ignore, though, and it does not inspire confidence.
Slayton said he is closely following Aaron Rodgers’ and Russell Wilson’s daily movements, updates, visits and beach paparazzi photos just like everyone else.
All that the Giants have riding on it is, well, everything.
“I don’t have notifications on, but you can’t get on Twitter or Instagram without seeing the updates,” Slayton said. “I see them, and I follow them. But at the end of the day, I don’t make the decision for who becomes the guy. But I do make the decision of being able to support the guy and play to the best of my ability for the guy, whoever he is, when he gets here.”
While Slayton plays the good soldier, the fact is the Giants have been stunningly inactive on the offensive side of the ball outside of their thus far empty quarterback search.
The offensive personnel look almost exactly the same, all the way down to Wednesday’s reported re-signing of right guard Greg Van Roten after Colts free agent lineman Will Fries chose the Vikings over New York.
There are still months of roster-building to go, including April’s NFL Draft. The Giants hold eight picks, including five in the top 105.
But their ability to land a capable winning quarterback will say everything about just what kind of chance the Giants actually have to be competitive in 2025 coming off their 3-14 season in 2024.
Not that Rodgers or Wilson will definitely be winning players on this team if they sign. Their pedigrees and abilities at least get players like Slayton excited, though.
Wilson is visiting the Giants on Friday here in East Rutherford, N.J., after spending time with the Browns in Ohio on Thursday.
Slayton said he would love to play with the 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion former Seahawk, Bronco and Steeler.
“Selfishly I think he’s been noted as having a great deep ball,” Slayton said with a smile. “I love that, of course. He’s somebody who has won in this league, played well last year for the Steelers. So clearly he’s still got gas in the tank. If he’s who we bring in, or whoever we bring in, we’ll embrace him and do our best to rally around him.”
Rodgers, meanwhile, continues to deliberate with the Giants, Steelers, Vikings, and retirement which are all considered options for the four-time MVP.
Slayton said recently on the Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard podcast that he hoped the Giants would build a system around the specific skill set of their new quarterback, preferably a rookie or younger vet that could grow in that offense year over year.
But Rodgers’ talent is impossible to ignore for his peers, and Slayton granted “it’s not often in this league you get a chance to play with a Hall of Fame, all-time quarterback.”
The possibility still exists, however, that the Giants could lose out on both Rodgers and Wilson. And then what? A veteran like Jameis Winston or Cooper Rush could be next in line.
Kirk Cousins lurks as a possible target down the line if the Falcons ever let him out of Atlanta. But that’s nothing any team can plan for at this moment with the NFL Draft coming up, the Giants holding the No. 3 overall pick, and Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll desperate for a Week 1 QB who can win them games.
Slayton was doing his best on Thursday to sell Rodgers or Wilson on what the Giants boast on offense.
He said “the sky is the limit” for any QB who joins the Giants’ “very quarterback-friendly” cast of “weapons.” He raved about their offensive tackles and expressed confidence that the team’s fortunes will turn.
Without a quarterback, though, it’s all talk. It’s all hope. And nothing feels settled or sure about the Giants’ chances in 2025.