INDIANAPOLIS -- After striking out in talks with Matthew Stafford, the New York Giants are including Aaron Rodgers in their search for a veteran quarterback, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.

Rodgers is set to be a free agent after the New York Jets announced earlier this month that they would be moving on from the quarterback after two seasons. Sam Darnold is also expected to be among the options, a source said, after his breakout season last year with the Minnesota Vikings. The Giants had interest in Darnold last season as a free agent before he landed in Minnesota. New York signed Drew Lock to be its backup on a one-year deal worth $5 million guaranteed.

Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson also considered New York among his options at the start of this offseason. The Giants, meanwhile, are currently on track to have exclusive rights free agent Tommy DeVito as the only quarterback on the roster. The team holds the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft, but general manager Joe Schoen said this week at the NFL scouting combine that it would "look under every rock" to add a franchise quarterback.

Regardless, the Giants want to add a veteran in free agency who can serve as a mentor and/or reliable option if they can't get their future signal-caller in the draft.

"In theory, yeah, you take the rookie quarterback, they're on the rookie deal for five years. Where we are salary cap-wise, you can build around them. You've got to make sure that one of those guys are going to be there or they're even in the draft," Schoen said. "Having a vet in place -- I've told you guys this before, where when you go into draft day, you could go play a game. Is your team going to be as good as you want it to be? No, but you've still got the draft. So prevent some of the draft-for-need and being able to take the best player available."

The Giants' search now appears to include Rodgers, a 41-year-old four-time NFL MVP whose first New York run produced a 6-12 record as the Jets' starter, a torn Achilles tendon and tension throughout the Jets franchise.

The Jets are likely to release Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation. To do that, they must carry him on the roster until March 12, the start of the 2025 league year.

The Giants were among the teams to meet with Stafford over the past week about contract parameters, but the Rams announced Friday that they had agreed to a restructured contract that keeps the quarterback in Los Angeles.