The New York Giants have not been a successful franchise for a while now. You can count the team’s 2022 run to the playoffs as “success” if you want to. But, did they deserve to be there? There were so many one-score games they escaped with, and the offense never really scored enough to make games a comfortable win. Making it to the divisional round before falling to the Eagles was a surprise to many. But, it created optimism for 2023.
That optimism quickly vanished in week one. From a disastrous ending on the first drive to seeing Andrew Thomas go down to a horrendous performance from Daniel Jones, the Giants never stood a chance in 2023. It was loss after loss after loss. Sure, there were some good moments. The Tommy Devito experience was fun while it lasted. Tyrod Taylor helped beat the Eagles in week 18. New York actually had an outside shot at a playoff spot in a putrid NFC (before losing three straight from weeks 15-17).
So, why am I repeating all of this? You already know how the story went of the 2023 New York Giants. Why is this all worth telling?
John Mara’s Recent Comments
I hate trading guys right at the trade deadline because it almost signals that you’re giving up on the season,” Mara said this week at the Annual League Meeting, via the New York Daily News. “And Saquon, I was still hoping to be able to sign him at some point. It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to do it.
John Mara on not trading Saquon Barkley at the trade deadline last year
For an owner who was okay with his GM (Dave Gettleman) drafting a running back at second overall, he sure looks like a complete idiot now.
The Giants were never going to bring Saquon back. GM Joe Schoen placed the franchise tag on him in 2023, in hopes of bringing him back. But, they would have to pay a pretty penny to retain their star running back this offseason. After all, he was their entire offense for years. The passing game was always complete garbage, and the offensive line was always putrid. Even with that, Barkley was close to running for 1,000 yards again for the season.
They offered him a $13 million per year deal for Barkley to stay. He declined, and it led to the tag being placed. Both parties struggled to reach an extension that worked for both sides. But, honestly, it isn’t all about the money here.
New York has been so incompetent since Barkley’s arrival in 2018. The team is 25-48-1 with him on the roster. They lost twice as many of their games won. How do you think he feels, knowing he would never win here
Offensively, he was always the best player on the team. A player running behind a putrid offensive line and next to a quarterback who looks like the worst first-round pick in recent team history (yes, even worse than Kadarius Toney).
Maybe there is some truth to that he wanted to remain a Giant. But, why would he? The team has not won consistently, struggle to score points, add in the fact that running backs don’t last long in the NFL, and it’s clear Saquon needed to leave to win somewhere else. He couldn’t manage to waste his time with Big Blue, knowing there were other teams he could go to and have that success.
It’s why he chose Philadelphia. Not to just be close to home, but to stick it to the Giants and show them what they missed out on. Unlike New York, Philadelphia has a competent offense and a consistent winning culture.
As for John Mara and Joe Schoen, letting your second-overall pick walk for nothing makes you look like a selfish idiot. Believing in false hope isn’t going to get you anywhere in life. You can’t sit here and tell me there were not any suitors to take the running back before the trade deadline.
Oh, and the bullshit about not giving up on the season? Give me a break. New York was 2-6 at the trade deadline. They just lost to the Jets in overtime because they couldn’t trust their quarterback to throw the ball (Tommy Devito). Even with Jones coming back for week nine after the deadline, he would go down with an ACL injury.
Spare me the three-game winning streak led by Devito. They always beat up on Washington, it took a missed field goal to beat New England, and they barely escaped against Green Bay (you guessed it: on a field goal in the final seconds to win by one possession). New York was 5-8 before losing three straight and ending the season 6-11.
Yes, I get you can’t predict the future. But, the team was already going downhill heading into the deadline. You might as well get the most out of trading your key players. No matter how much you want to believe, they were not going to make the playoffs
Instead, the Giants are stuck seeing their star player go to their rivals (for nothing) while having to deal with the most idiotic contract in team history (spoiler: it’s the quarterback. Speaking of which…)
The Giants Better Get Their Quarterback In This Draft
If you’re Joe Schoen, you cannot mess this draft up. Seriously. The Jones experiment should be thrown out the window, no matter how much you want to lie to the public (that includes you, John Mara and Brian Daboll).
Enough with the smokescreens. We all know you’re getting a quarterback in the draft. Potentially, six signal-callers could go in the first round. New York needs to get one of them.
Yes, it’s not going to be Caleb Williams. It will likely not be Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. But, teams like the Minnesota Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders are looking to trade up to get a quarterback, which leaves the Giants in a sticky situation that they need to figure out.
Here’s what I mean. Rather, what I propose. You’re at sixth overall. Let’s say the first three picks go: Williams, Maye, and Daniels (switch the last two if you really want to). Arizona and Los Angeles aren’t going quarterback. Then, it’s you.
But, that’s not the move you need to make. You almost have to pull what Minnesota did and get another first-round pick in the draft. But, multiply what they did by 10.
Realistically, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers are off the board by the time you pick. That leaves you with (the most likely choice at six) Rome Odunze, the wideout from Washington.
However, you cannot risk waiting until the second round to draft a quarterback. Not with Michael Penix Jr. having the Pro Day that he had plus the hype around JJ McCarthy growing rapidly. If the consolation prize is Bo Nix, that’s not something to be proud about.
Michael Penix Jr ran a 4.46 40 yard dash at his Pro Day. Wow.
— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) March 28, 2024
pic.twitter.com/XQoGwTkuxj
So, what should the Giants do? Not one, but two trades.
In PFF’s mock draft simulator, I trade my second-round pick this year, and my 2025 first and second rounders to Atlanta for the eighth overall pick. At seven, Tennessee isn’t draft a quarterback (go with Joe Alt instead) and Atlanta didn’t need one either.
But then, I package that eighth overall pick to the Jets for the tenth overall pick and also pick 72 in this year’s draft.
Yes, both trades were accepted. Crazy world, but that’s the beauty of being a GM.
- 6th: WR Rome Odzune (NYG)
- 7th: OT Joe Alt (TEN)
- 8th: TE Brock Bowers (NYJ)
- 9th: DE Dallas Turner (CHI)
- 10th: QB Michael Penix Jr. (NYG)
I decided to go with Penix over McCarthy. Why not pair your first-round WR with his college quarterback? After all, the two of them had great chemistry at Washington.
More importantly, Penix shined at his Pro Day. You could argue he’s the best pure thrower in the class. If it wasn’t for his injury history, he may have an argument for being chosen in the top five.
But, injuries are a thing of the past. Penix has been fully healthy in his last two seasons in college, throwing for more than 4,500 yards in each of them. His numbers are statistically better compared to McCarthy, even tho he ran a pro-style offense at Michigan.
New York has been dying for a quarterback like Penix for years now. Left-handed aside, he’s the one that can get the ball to his weapons better than Jones can. He can make the big throws, and with deep threats like Odunze along with guys like Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton, this offense can finally open up.
Most importantly, Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen would finally have a quarterback of their choosing. Something they haven’t had since their arrival in 2022.
You don’t have forever to win a Super Bowl. Especially in a division like the NFC East, the time to make some noise is now.
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