The New York Giants are one of the worst NFL teams for the second consecutive season, prompting plenty of speculation that the organization could clean house this offseason. Even if head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are fired, some around the league still believe it won’t fix the franchise’s worsening reputation.
New York already faced widespread criticism for its decision to let All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley walk in free agency and then sign with the Philadelphia Eagles. The decision looked even worse because the organization wanted the spotlight of being the first NFL team on HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason, which hurt the public reputation of the front office.
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Issues have only gotten worse during the regular season. Giants’ first-round pick Malik Nabers called out Daboll and then stood by his comments following a meeting with the head coach. Now it appears a franchise that was once very well-regarded around the league has done significant damage to its reputation among coaches and executives.
Speaking to Mike Sando of The Athletic, NFL executives and coaches were blunt about the state of the Giants organization. While the franchise might not be viewed as big of a “clown show” as the New York Jets, plenty of people around the NFL believe the Giants’ organization’s credibility has taken a sizable hit in recent years.
“What we are watching (with the Giants) is, Paul Brown passes the Bengals to Mike Brown (in 1991) and all mayhem breaks out.”
Anonymous NFL coach on the state of the New York Giants organization
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The Giants franchise used to be one of the most well-respected organizations in the NFL. Under Wellington Mara, Tom Coughlin was hired as head coach and the team traded for quarterback Eli Manning. New York posted a .531 winning percentage under Coughlin from 2004-2015, posting a 102-90 record in the regular season with an 8-2 record in the postseason and winning two Super Bowls.
- New York Giants record (2016-2024): 50-92-1
Since Coughlin’s departure, the Giants have the third-worst record in the NFL with an abysmal .350 winning percentage and it’s likely to get even worse by the end of the 2024 season.
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Among the many questionable decisions made by the Giants, even beyond the decisions to let Xavier McKinney and Saquon Barkley walk in NFL free agency, was the move to name Tommy DeVito the starter. While everyone around the NFL understood why New York benched Daniel Jones, the call to start DeVito over Drew Lock baffled many around the league.
“That move made less sense than anything that has happened in the league this season.”
Anonymous NFL executive on the New York Giants’ decision to start Tommy DeVito over Drew Lock
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The only reason Lock became the Giants starting quarterback on Thanksgiving, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, was because DeVito was injured. Otherwise, a change wouldn’t have been made, with some around the NFL believing Giants’ owner John Mara decided because of the local fan support for Devito.
“It has to be the owner trying to drum up some local support playing off last year’s success.”
Anonymous NFL coach on the possible reasoning for the New York Giants starting Tommy DeVito
Even the idea that ownership stepped in to decide on the starting quarterback will likely raise more concerns for potential coaching candidates about taking this job. If coaches around the NFL believe Mara will overstep their decision, a looming Giants’ coaching vacancy becomes far less appealing.
Unfortunately for New York, there’s very little that can be done regarding Mara’s unfavorable reputation around the league and it will cost them this offseason and potentially in the years to come. The lone hope for the Giants is that they stumble on a franchise quarterback, but many NFL scouts and executives aren’t convinced there is one in the 2025 NFL Draft.
