After deciding not to resign Landon Collins and trading Odell Beckham Jr., the New York Giants have made some questionable decisions lately. General manager Dave Gettleman has taken criticism for a while and will uncourtly take even more. Here are the thoughts and reactions to each move from a lifelong Giants fan.
New York Giants; Another GIANT Problem
Tag, You’re Not It
The Giants decided not to tag Collins for $11 million and he ended up signing with the division rival Washington Redskins. His deal in Washington is worth $14 million per year for six seasons. Three million dollars is not that high of a price for one of the top five safeties in football.
The reasoning not to pay him still does not make sense. Collins has 96 or more tackles in each of his four seasons in the NFL including 125 in 2016. The Giants secondary has not had a reliable player besides Collins since Antrel Rolle and has been a weakness for years. Janoris Jenkins is a good cornerback but finished outside the top ten in tackles for cornerbacks last season. Jenkins ranked outside the top 25 cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus in 2018. Meanwhile, Collins ranked eleventh in tackles for safeties last season.
Collins is one of the best safeties in the NFL so letting him walk in theory means you can replace him with someone as good if not better for less money. Dominant safeties are harder to find than shutdown cornerbacks, so letting one leave when you have the money does not seem wise.
Woah-Dell
Trade rumors surrounding Beckham have surfaced for a while, but it never appeared to be anything serious. Suddenly fans were shocked to hear that the Giants have traded Beckham to the Cleveland Browns. One year after signing an extension for $90 million with $40 million guaranteed New York trades him. His antics and arguments with teammates and coaches seem to be why they did it since no one can deny his talent on the field.
To trade a player with as much talent in his prime is mind-boggling. The trade costs the Giants $21 million in hard cap so he will make nearly as much playing for someone else as Eli Manning does this season for playing in New York. Not only did they give up a generational talent but also lose significant cap space that could be used to help the offensive line or receiver core. Two draft picks and Jabrill Peppers do not seem like a fair trade, for a top-five receiver in his prime we should’ve had a Khalil Mack like a trade for two first rounders.
Beckham is a special talent and showed how special he can be. Sterling Shepard is a great second option but is not capable of being the main weapon yet. There is a reason most players never become stars in the NFL, so to trade one is going to be huge in defining the legacy of the next few years. We may have Saquon Barkley, but as special as he is running backs on average last significantly shorter than receivers do. With the offensive line inconsistency, I am worried about his future. Add to the fact that without Beckham defenses will be focused on Barkley and this seems like a recipe for disaster.
The Last Word
Super Bowl 42 was the first football game I saw, and after seeing the Giants shock the undefeated New England Patriots I immediately fell in love with the game and the Giants. They have made some decisions I hated before, but these two are by far the worst. It’s getting harder to be a Giants fan every year, and with no sense of direction or identity makes it near impossible to stay loyal. I don’t know if I can support this organization anymore, because we seem to not want to win or lose. In the 48 hour span that Collins signed with Washington and Odell was traded, I celebrated my 20th birthday. I have given so much passion and love for this team for so long and this is the present I get. What a way to repay someone who has given you so much.
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