Why the NY Giants’ rebuild is further along than the Jets’
By Matt Clark
Despite a heads start by the crosstown Jets, we examine why the NY Giants may be further ahead in their rebuilding process.
Most experts believed that the NY Jets rebuild would occur much quicker than the rebuilding process of their cross-town brethren NY Giants. For starters, the Jets had the advantage of beginning their rebuild at least a year earlier than Big Blue ‘officially’ did.
Many were highly critical of Giants general manager, Dave Gettleman, for passing on the potential franchise quarterback of the future in the 2018 NFL Draft, in favor of instead drafting a “generational talent” at running back in Saquon Barkley and deciding to partner him with an aging Eli Manning and elite wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was fresh off signing a massive contract extension.
Critics who pointed to the errors in Gettleman’s judgment for not taking a quarterback in what appeared to be a loaded quarterback draft class praised Mike Maccagnan, who was the general manager of the Jets at that time, for moving up to draft Sam Darnold.
Many experts believed that Darnold was an excellent fit for the G-Men and that they should have begun the rebuild in 2018 by passing on Barkley in favor of Darnold. As fate would have it, neither situation played out as expected for the respective general managers.
The NY Giants would go a disappointing 5-11 in 2018, leading to the team deciding to change course and part ways with veterans such as Damon Harrison, Eli Apple, and others midseason via trade. During the offseason, they would opt to let Landon Collins walk in free agency and would trade Olivier Vernon and Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns as part of the rebuilding process.
In May of 2019, the Jets would fire Maccagnan after reports surfaced of a rift between him and newly hired head coach Adam Gase regarding free agency signings. The team would replace Maccagnan with former Philadelphia Eagles vice president of player personnel, Joe Douglas and the team would begin construction under a new directive.
Given that the two teams share the same stadium and are similarly in rebuilding mode, it is only natural to want to compare where the two teams stand against one another heading into the 2020 season and beyond.
With that in mind, I have broken down the NY Giants and NY Jets in a head-to-head comparison to determine who is further ahead in the rebuilding process and which team seems to have a brighter future at the moment.