Did the New York Giants just help the New York Jets in their pursuit of a franchise quarterback?

Maybe, maybe not.

The Giants' trade of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has fueled speculation they will replace him by using the second pick in the draft on NC State's Bradley Chubb. That, of course, would leave the second quarterback to the Jets at No. 3, presuming the Cleveland Browns take quarterback Sam Darnold with the top pick.

There's some merit to the Chubb theory. After all, he's easily the top defensive player in the draft, certainly worthy of the No. 2 pick. Look at general manager Dave Gettleman's track record, going back to his days with the Carolina Panthers, and you'll see a talent evaluator who likes building with big guys -- offensive and defensive linemen.

The one question mark is Chubb's size -- 6 feet 4, 269 pounds -- which means he'd be a tweener in the Giants' new 3-4 scheme. He doesn't have prototypical size for a 3-4 defensive end, and he's never played linebacker. There are exceptions, of course. Some teams -- the good teams -- adjust their schemes to fit the talent, not the other way around. They can always use Chubb as a situational rusher as a rookie, then make him a "rush" linebacker (Olivier Vernon's current role) in 2019.

So the initial reaction to the trade is that, yes, it could benefit the Jets. The difference between the second and third quarterback could be enormous, assuming they have them prioritized correctly.

On the flip side, there's always the potential for more dealing -- and that's where things could get dicey for the Jets.

Before the JPP trade, the Giants had been linked among the non-quarterbacks to running back Saquon Barkley. They'd be thrilled with him or Chubb, especially if they've already decided not to take a quarterback. Now consider this scenario: What if the Giants swap places with the Denver Broncos (No. 5)? They'd move back three spots, pick up extra draft capital and still get Barkley or Chubb. That would be a win-win for the Giants.

The Broncos just gave Case Keenum a $25 million guarantee, but top executive John Elway still is telling people that every quarterback option is on the table. The Miami Dolphins (No. 11) and Buffalo Bills (No. 12) also could be looking to trade up for a quarterback, though the Giants would take themselves out of the draft's sweet spot by dropping that far.

The point is, the Giants might be able to rattle the Jets into thinking they're willing to trade out to a quarterback-needy team, perhaps persuading the Jets to cough up more picks to move up for the quarterback they really want.

Don't you love the subterfuge?