Behind-the-scenes footage shows Giants made last-minute call to Titans about No. 1 overall pick

After the Tennessee Titans finished the 2024 season in a tie for the worst record in the NFL at 3-14, they netted the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft as a consolation prize. With that pick, they selected none other than former University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

Behind-the-scenes footage has revealed that at least one team made a call to the Titans regarding the No. 1 pick right before the selection was made. New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi had a brief (and somewhat humorous) conversation about the pick right before Tennessee drafted Ward.

“Were you waiting for this?” Schoen said to Borgonzi during the phone call. “You gonna pick? I had to do it. I had to do it. Alright, man. Well, good luck to you, man. I was gonna wait and just call you now on the clock, so I figured you guys were picking, but thought I’d give one more swing. Alright, good luck to you.”

While it’s tough to tell how much serious intent was behind the call, perhaps the Giants were hoping to trade up with the Titans for the opportunity to draft Ward considering how poorly the team’s signal-callers fared last season. The five quarterbacks who played for New York totaled nearly as many combined interceptions as they did passing touchdowns.

The Giants still had one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft themselves. With the No. 3 overall pick, they drafted edge rusher Abdul Carter. Carter led the entire nation in tackles for loss with Pennsylvania State University in the 2024 collegiate season (with 24).

However, the Giants ended up still drafting a quarterback in the first round after they traded back into the opening round. In exchange for a second-round pick and a pair of third-round picks, New York got the No. 25 selection and used it on quarterback Jaxson Dart. For what it’s worth, the Giants are said to have settled on Dart days before the draft.

Dart is an intriguing prospect at the all-important quarterback position and could have a long and successful career in the NFL, but it was Ward who was held in higher regard by much of the football world going into the draft.

Ward has future NFL star written all over him, as he put together a highly decorated 2024 campaign with the Hurricanes. He threw for more passing touchdowns than any player in the nation and was named the ACC Player of the Year. He also earned All-American honors.

Hopefully, both Ward and Dart go on to have incredibly successful careers with their respective teams, as both the Titans and Giants desperately need a quality starter at the position. Carter, meanwhile, also has a chance to become a special player in the NFL.