4 Overlooked Reasons the 2021 Season didn’t work out for the NY Giants
Every Major Offseason Move has backfired.
Kenny Golladay. Adoree’ Jackson. Kyle Rudolph. Bringing back Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. Trading back and taking Kadarius Toney.
Almost every move listed above has completely failed for the NY Giants in 2021.
Golladay’s $72-million contract looks like a colossal mistake right now. Golladay has had sideline meltdowns, arguments with coaches, a disgruntled attitude, he has made little to no difference on the field, and he’s again been injured. Golladay has played 5 NFL seasons now. He’s missed nearly half the games or more in three of five seasons.
Jackson has come in and quietly performed well at the Giants’ No. 2 cornerback. He has dealt with some injuries again which plagued his career in Tennessee. Jackson hasn’t made any big plays or really made any splashy plays like turnovers or big passes defended. He dropped the likely game-winning interception Week 3 vs the Falcons but has bounced back nicely since then.
Rudolph was handed a 2-year, $12 million deal despite being older than 30, clearly past the peak of his prime, and he was coming off an injury. Add in the fact the Giants’ medical staff saw enough in his medical to recommend surgery, and yet they still didn’t adjust Rudolph’s contract. Gettleman’s reasoning at the time was, “We are the New York Giants. We do everything with class.” It seems like a ridiculous statement then and still is now.
There is nothing unclassy about changing the terms of a contract for a player who is a top-3 oldest on the team, he’s hurt and then missed the entire offseason. Rudolph’s done nothing in this offense, they should look to void his 2nd year of the contract this offseason.
Engram and Shepard were both retained.
Engram’s name has been floated around the NFL trade block for years now but still, the Giants won’t bite at any offer thrown Engram’s way. Engram missed the first two games of the season and then started off 2021 with a drop and an inexcusable fumble in Week 3. He was subsequently blood vehemently as it was deserving due to his undeniable talent yet inability to ever show it on Sundays. Sterling Shepard came back and took an adjusted contract this year. It was a horrible financial decision for the NY Giants who now will lose even more money cutting Sehp this offseason. Shep has done nothing but get hurt in New York seemingly every year. It’s been 4 out of the 5 last seasons where Shep has missed extended time. He’s not only been hurt but it lingers every time and he’s missed a quarter of each season in four of five years.
Lastly, trading back in the 1st round of the draft was a smart, modern approach to the draft. Unfortunately, the Giants should not have selected Kadarius Toney. A whacky offseason, injuries, and a clear immaturity level, and a lack of understanding of what to say and what not to say in press conferences and on social media is a serious concern. Add in Toney’s gun issues at UF, he’s had Covid twice now, and his endless injuries, Toney was nothing but a headache in year one. He has had only two big games all year and one of them concluded in a punch and an ejection. Immaturity issues…