Not only is the 2024 season the New York Giants 100th in the league, but it’s shaping up to be one of the most crucial seasons in the history of the organization.
It’s the third year in the Joe Schoen Brian Daboll regime, and after going 9-7-1 in 2022 and winning the franchise’s first playoff game since Super Bowl XLVI, they followed it up with a disappointing 6-11 record last year.
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The jury is still out on whether Schoen and Daboll can resurrect the franchise into elite status, and ownership will be closely monitoring them this season. But the team’s general manager and head coach aren’t the only ones with something to prove this upcoming season.
Here’s a look at the five New York Giants with the most to prove in 2024.
Daniel Jones
The writing is on the wall for Daniel Jones. If he suffers through another injury-riddled and turnover-prone season, this will be his swan song in New York. Jones has no guaranteed money remaining after this year, which will allow the team to have financial flexibility in signing a veteran quarterback, or take one of the quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The team was trying to trade up to the third pick with the New England Patriots in the 2024 Draft in hopes of taking North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, but at the end of the day, the Patriots wanted Maye more than anything New York offered.
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If Jones wants to stay in New York beyond this season, the 27-year-old quarterback must remain healthy and perform even better than he did in 2022 when he had a career-high 92.5 quarterback rating and threw 15 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Evan Neal
Except for Jones, no other Giant has been under more scrutiny than Neal and it’s for good reason. After a subpar rookie season in 2022 where he struggled mightily, Neal didn’t show any improvements in year two. In fact, some would say he regressed.
He lacked the footwork and technique to prevent edge rushers from beating him on the outside, and then in a moment of frustration he insulted the fan base. A fracture in his left ankle put an end to his 2023 season after just seven games, leaving a cloud of uncertainty about his future.
Some believe he should move from right tackle to guard, but the team is optimistic that new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo can bring out the best in Neal. If he continues to struggle, he may be benched for Jermaine Eluemunor who the team acquired in free agency.
The 2024 season is without question a make-or-break season for the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Darius Slayton
Slayton has been the best and most dependable receiver on the roster since the team took him with the 171st overall pick in the 2019 draft. He’s led the team in receiving yards in four out of his five seasons, and last year he had a career-high 770 receiving yards.
But he’s entering the final year of his contract and despite the team restructuring his contract where he can earn an additional $650,000 in incentives, it seems like this will be his last year with the Giants. In each of the last three seasons, Schoen has drafted three wide receivers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and this year he selected Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick.
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Robinson is poised to become one of the best slot receivers in the league, and Hyatt has the potential to become one of the best deep threats in the league. Nabers is expected to finally give the team their first true number-one wideout since Odell Beckham Jr.
As consistent as Slayton has been, it’s hard to see a scenario where the team prioritizes on bringing him back, if the other three receivers play up to projection. The 27-year-old Slayton would need to have a career year in order to be back in 2025.
Devin Singletary
Singletary has the unenviable task of replacing Saquon Barkley who left via free agency and signed with the Eagles. Barkley was the team’s best offensive skill position player, and whether it’s fair or unfair, Singletary’s performance will be compared to Barkley’s.
Although he’s never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, Singletary is a reliable and versatile back. He even has a higher career yards per carry than Barkley (4.6 to 4.3). He just doesn’t have the explosiveness and the ability to score from anywhere on the field as his predecessor.
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The team did upgrade the offensive line this offseason, which should help generate more explosive plays from Singletary. But if that doesn’t happen, all eyes will be on the team’s newest number 26.
Brian Burns
The Giants pulled a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers this offseason by sending a 2024 second-round pick (39th overall) along with a 2025 fifth-round pick and swapping fifth-round picks in this year’s draft (New York getting the #166th pick and the Panthers getting the 141st pick) in exchange for Brian Burns.
Then the team signed Burns to a five-year deal that could pay the edge rusher up to $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed.
The 26-year-old Burns has registered 46 sacks during his five seasons in Carolina, including a career-high 12 ½ in 2022. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022, and with his arrival, New York is expected to have one of the best defensive front sevens in the league.
Now the only question is, can he live up to expectations of being one of the highest-paid players in the league? Not all players are geared up to play in this market where every move you make is under a microscope. How the team’s newest pass rusher fares will go a long way in determining their success in 2024.