Dan Salomone

Joe Schoen spoke to reporters Monday morning at the Annual League Meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla. Brian Daboll is up next tomorrow with the NFC coaches, and then draft month is finally here.

Below is everything you need to know from the general manager,who also spoke to Giants.com one-on-one.

📰 Schoen likes going into the draft "being ready to play a game." He feels they have accomplished that in free agency, including the signings of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. "I'm excited about the way the room looks right now."

📰 There were "parallel tracks" on all the different quarterback scenarios and negotiations. At the combine, Schoen said they were going to "take swings" at the position and that's what they did. "We were looking at not just trade options but free agency, and we'll also look to the draft. So, we got a pretty good feel of what the landscape looks like, who's available, how they're going to be available, and as we started to go through it, we ended up landing where we did."

📰 The Giants offered Wilson when he came in on the visit. The negotiation took around 11 days. "These things don't happen overnight, no different than Jameis, where it took five days to get that one done. I know it seems like it was dragging on, but there were conversations behind the scenes that were being had."

📰 On the Matthew Stafford scenario: "We had conversations, ultimately where he is in his career, he was able to stay in his house. He's got four kids that are young and he was able to stay with the organization that he's with. Ultimately that was his decision."

📰 Schoen on all the quarterback scenarios in free agency, including Aaron Rodgers: "Until they agree, you don't really know." They talked to a lot of different free agents and agents of free agents.

📰 When talking to quarterbacks, "you shoot them straight on the opportunity." The unique thing about quarterbacks is they do homework on your roster, too. They're looking where they can put their best foot forward.

📰 Wilson will take first-team reps when spring football begins. The Giants' offseason workout program opens April 21. Brian Daboll will be able to speak more about that when the NFC coaches speak at the Annual League Meeting on Tuesday morning.

📰 Winston was aware of what the Giants were doing with Wilson while both negotiations went on at the same time. "You just communicate and shoot these guys straight."

📰 On the quarterback impact on the draft: "We can go any which direction." They feel like they are not forced into a corner at No. 3.

📰 Asked about the possibility of moving up to No. 1, Schoen stressed that teams are still gathering information. It's "incomplete still" for all the teams. Some of the top players haven't even worked out yet.

📰 You want to be able to plug in a quarterback for the next 15 years, but "there's got to be one available. They've got to check a lot of boxes."

📰 If the value is right, they can take a quarterback past the first round. "What if there's not a guy?" Schoen won't take a quarterback just for the sake of it.

📰 Daboll had "a really good rapport" with Wilson and Winston when they came in. Both provide leadership in their own ways.

📰 Daboll doesn't typically go to pro days. He only went to LSU last year because they couldn't do a private with Jayden Daniels.

📰 The Giants tried to get Darius Slayton's deal done at the bye week.

📰 Greg Van Roten, who also re-signed, is a "glue guy" in the offensive line room.

📰 Guard Jon Runyan will be healthy and ready to go in the spring.

📰 There is "historical value" in meeting with draft prospects even if you don't draft him. They store the information for future decisions in free agency or possibly trades. "That carries forward."

📰 When he was with the Bills, Schoen spent a lot of time scouting safety Jevn Holland. Schoen even still has a zoom interview of him on his phone.

📰 The Giants are trying to build "something sustainable." Schoen feels like there is a core group of players that will be together for the "foreseeable future."

📰 Evan Neal will "do whatever he can to help the team" regarding a potential move from tackle to guard. He is "open to it."

📰 The Giants addressed the swing tackle role with the signing of James Hudson III.

ON MOBILE

ON DESKTOP