With Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford spurning the New York Giants, the team has, reportedly added Aaron Rodgers, the soon-to-be former Jets quarterback, to its list of considerations.

So believes CBS insider Jonathan Jones, who reported that multiple calls have been made on Rodgers’s behalf to teams in need of a quarterback to gauge their interest and that the Giants are one such recipient of those calls.

Yet despite the reported interest, Jones said the Giants, who reportedly went hard after Stafford, are not about to get into a rebound situation without exploring other options.

“I don’t think we are anywhere close to that being a fait accompli,” he said. “We know that the free-agent quarterback market is not super strong, right? 

“You got (Steelers quarterbacks) Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. You got (Vikings quarterback) Sam Darnold, who I don’t think is gonna be an option for the Giants. You have (Vikings quarterback) Daniel Jones, who I know is not going to be an option for the Giants. 

“So we will ultimately see how this works out for the Giants, but Aaron Rogers is a name you will hear, and there has certainly been interest from Aaron Rogers’ side.” 

NFL teams cannot technically can’t speak with Rodgers unless he’s been given permission by the Jets to do so. Such permission is not yet believed to have been granted by the Jets, who are expected to release Rodgers and designate him as a post-June 1 transaction.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen told reporters at the combine that they want to find a veteran quarterback who can come in and win them some games and also serve as a mentor for a potential draft pick, should the Giants make such a move. 

Talk at the combine has also picked up regarding the possibility of the Giants trading up to have a chance at one of the top two quarterbacks in the limited class, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado or Cam Ward of Miami.

Ward is believed to be the quarterback who will come off the board before the Giants go on the clock with the third overall pick, which, if that’s an opinion shared by the NFL community, would seem to indicate that Ward might have a higher grade front he Giants than Sanders.    

Jones also said the Giants may wait until April to get a veteran quarterback, but that scenario is unlikely to happen, given that the Giants are not the only team needing a quarterback. 

Jones also doesn’t believe that the Jets would pursue a trade now that Stafford is out of the picture for quarterback-needy teams.

Rodgers spoke of his fondness for the New York metropolitan area during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show last November. 

“I’ve really enjoyed my time in New York,” he said. “I’ve made some good friendships on the team. I’ve enjoyed living in (New) Jersey. I’ve enjoyed time in the city. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the fans. And I came here to win. 

“So I’m not jumping off ship, you know, like, ‘Oh, I definitely wanna play and not in New York.’ Like, I don’t even know if I wanna play yet, but New York would be my first option.”

Whether the Giants agree that he’s now their first option won’t be determined until the Jets officially release Rodgers, at such time the Giants’ brass will be able to sit down to speak with him about a potential role and any other concerns they might have about Rodgers’s time with the Jets.