The New York Giants have been dysfunctional for the better part of a decade. Owner John Mara has brought in and fired several head coaches and general managers. Still, many have questioned his retention of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen after the duo won nine games over the past two seasons.
Giants have been slipping to new lows under Daboll and Schoen, and their struggles are likely to continue after “head-scratching” moves in the offseason have left them without a potent signal-caller.
NFL Analyst Rips Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen Over Offseason Moves
Many disappointments, topped by Saquon Barkley’s departure and Daniel Jones’ failure, led Mara to issue an ultimatum. Essentially calling out Schoen and Daboll, he was clear that his patience was running thin.
The Giants’ most significant need was finding a starting QB to win them games in 2025. They were heavily linked with four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers but ultimately signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston while bringing back Tommy DeVito as the backup.
The Giants are banking on Wilson and Winston as their starting quarterbacks in 2025. However, neither of the two is a game changer, nor can they be long-term plans, leaving NFL analyst Michael Holley shocked.
“Can you imagine getting this kind of do-or-die message from your boss? And the best you can come up with is you sign Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and you bring back Tommy DeVito. Wow,” he said on a recent episode of Pro Football Talk.
“I look at them, and it’s head-scratching. I look at what they did with Saquon Barkley last year and what they are doing right now; it’s shocking.
“There’s no way, Mike, if my job is on the line, with all respect to those guys, my job is on the line. There’s no way I’m looking at James Winston and Russell Wilson to save me.”
While Winston and Wilson are upgrades compared to the Giants last season, they had better options to sign in free agency, including Rodgers and Sam Darnold, the top-ranked free agent quarterback per PFSN’s QB+ metric.
Wilson placed 17th, and while he didn’t cost the Pittsburgh Steelers the season, he didn’t have to win it for them, either. Meanwhile, Winston was ranked 29th and was all over the place last season with the Cleveland Browns, with three games grading as a D or below and four games grading as a C or above.
Nevertheless, the Giants are picking third overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. They are widely believed to select a quarterback, potentially Shedeuer Sanders, who could take over the reins from Wilson in a couple of years.
As a desperate move for a franchise that needs something to cling to, Sanders is their best bet, especially with Cam Ward tracking as QB1 and the two teams ahead of New York also needing a quarterback. But how it works out in the long run is anyone’s guess.
Terrible take from another talking head. The Giants suffered from poor QB play and lack of production from their offensive line due to injury and poor depth. Evan Neal being a total bust was a major issue.
The signing of Wilson and Winston is not exciting but it gives them the best QB1 and QB2 pairing that they have had in several years. Competent QB play would be a major upgrade. Competent QB play and decent offensive line play could make them a .500 team which is an improvement. The defense has played well but it’s hard to hold up being on the field most of the game and the other team always working with good field position.
Wilson and Winston were signed for a COMBINED $15M per plus incentives. Darnold, after one good season, signed for $33M per season and Rodgers (41) is going to ask for $35 to $40M per season. The Giants still have an opportunity to trade for a young QB or select one in the draft too.
Saquon Barkley had a fantastic season. If the Giants re-signed him it would have been more of a PR move. If he stayed maybe the Giants win another game or two. Or he gets hurts like most of the other years he played for them due to bad offensive line play. The Giants offered him a $12M per year extension and he declined it. The next season the RB market looked soft and they pulled the offer. Since then Henry signed for $8M per, Swift $8M per, after his one productive season of his career, and Jacobs signed for $12M per. Swift doubled his production and played his only 16 game season after going to the Eagles from Detroit. Barkley had an MVP caliber season and played a full 16 games. That’s not a coincidence. The Eagles have one of the top lines in football!!!! If Barkley stayed with the Giants they would currently hold a draft pick around 10 or 12. How does that help them for the future?