New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen tried one last time to trade up with the Tennessee Titans to take Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward, but to no avail.
As everyone expected, the Titans used the first overall pick of 2025 on Cam Ward. It was obvious they were going that route in the weeks leading up to the draft, but the Giants didn’t go down without trying.
In a new video shared on their YouTube channel, the Giants shared some fascinating behind-the-scenes clips of what was going on in the draft room. At one point of the video, Schoen called Titans GM Mike Borgonzi to see if there were any chance he’d give up the No. 1 pick at the last minute:
“I had to do it, I had to do it,” Schoen told Borgonzi with a chuckle. “Well, good luck to you, man…I figured you guys were picking, but thought I’d give it one more swing.”
While the #Titans were on the clock at No. 1, Giants GM Joe Schoen gave one last call to GM Mike Borgonzi, just to make sure that top pick really wasn’t up for grabs. It was always Cam Ward.
— SleeperTitans (@SleeperTitanUp) May 8, 2025
Hey, Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky once stated, “You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.” Schoen lost nothing here by seeing if the Titans would be open to a last-minute blockbuster deal.
The Giants still did well at the draft table, though. They got a can’t-miss Penn State edge rusher in Abdul Carter with the No. 3 pick and traded up via the Houston Texans to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart with the 25th selection.
Cam Ward Will Try To Save The Middling’ Titans Franchise
The Titans had a relatively short-but-sweet run under former head coach Mike Vrabel, who guided them to four straight winning seasons (2018 to 2021), an AFC Championship Game appearance, three playoff berths and two AFC South division crowns.
But Tennessee has suffered double-digit losses in three straight seasons now. The disastrous 2024 campaign led to the firing of GM Ran Carthon, who was replaced by Borgonzi. We’ll see if Ward is up for the challenge of saving a franchise that hasn’t enjoyed a whole lot of success in the 21st century.