The NY Giants have been a very up and down team since 2010, most notably winning the Super Bowl in 2011. However, things have gone downhill since then, as the Giants have only had one playoff appearance, which came in 2015 under disgraced former head coach Ben McAdoo.
Despite the ups and downs, several legendary players have suited up for the Giants over the last 12 years, making their marks on, and sometimes off the field. Even with the team not seeing much success, it is always nice to see individual players perform at a high level.
To be a NY Giant has always been one of the biggest honors in the NFL. Now, imagine the honor of being one of the best to ever play for the organization. While some of these players are simply the best of the decade, others are some of the best to ever play for the team. With that said, here’s our look at the five best Giants players since 2010.
Honorable mentions: Antrel Rolle, Chris Snee and Landon Collins
Antrel Rolle joined the Giants in the 2010 season and made an instant impact. Making his second career Pro-Bowl and was a member of the second team All-Pro, Rolle was instrumental to the Giants 2011 Super Bowl run. Being one of the best players on the stacked Giants defense, Rolle would remain with the G-Men until 2014.
He eventually would sign a three-year deal with the Bears, go down with a knee injury and then eventually retire. During his five-year tenure with the Giants, Rolle made two Pro-Bowls, and would be a member of two All-Pro teams.
Chris Snee was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2004 draft. Making four Pro-Bowls and one All-Pro team during his 10-year career, Snee was one of the most important pieces to both of the NY Giants Super Bowl runs in both 2007 and 2011. However, Snee retired in 2013, which made it difficult to put him in the top five. Snee was still a very good player from 2010 and on, making two Pro-Bowls and an All-Pro Second team.
Finally we have Landon Collins, a player who has become somewhat forgotten in recent years. This is likely due to the rough way in which his tenure with the NY Giants ended, and the era he played in. Don’t forget, however, that during his time with the Giants, Collins was a three-time Pro-Bowler and a First-Team All-Pro in 2016.
Collins made a Pro-Bowl in three out of the four seasons he was with the team. He was truly a special player. While his issues in coverage held him back from being one of the best defensive players in the league, he was still very good in a lot of other aspects. Collins’ ability as a tackler was one of the best in the league, as he tallied over 100 tackles in three out of the four seasons he was with the team. It is also worth noting that in that fourth season, Collins had 96 tackles in 12 games. So he was on pace for well over 100 tackles.
5. DE Justin Tuck
While at this point Justin Tuck’s best years were behind him, he was still one of the most important members of the NY Giants defense during his time on the team. While he dealt with an injury in 2011 that held him to only 12 games played, Tuck showed up when it mattered most, Sacking Tom Brady two times in the Super Bowl.
In the years after the Super Bowl, Tuck would still play at a very impressive level, recording two double-digit sack seasons out of the four he was on the team. Although Tuck was not on the Giants for very long after, his impact when he was with the team, combined with his play in the Super Bowl, helped propel him into the top five.
After nine long and fruitful seasons with the NY Giants, Tuck would opt to sign a two-year deal with the Oakland Raiders in 2014. However, Tuck would only play 1.5 seasons after going down with a torn pectoral muscle in 2015. He then retired.
Whether it be his tremendous play on the field, or legendary face mask, Tuck will always be remembered among NY Giants fans as one of the most important pieces to both Super Bowl teams.
4. WR Victor Cruz
Victor Cruz, when healthy, was one of the most exciting players the league had. However, due to back to back horrific injuries, Cruz was forced to retire at the age of 30. After joining the NY Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2010, Cruz would only play in three games during his rookie season. However, in 2011, the 25 year old would burst onto the scene, catching 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cruz was instrumental to the NY Giants 2011 Super Bowl run. He caught 10 passes for 142 yards in the NFC Championship game and made several ridiculous plays in the regular season to help the Giants make the playoffs in the first place. Such as his infamous 99-yard TD against the Jets in Week 15.
While Cruz was one of the best receivers in the NFL at the time, his prime was short-lived. As in 2014, only three years after his initial breakout season, Cruz would go down with a torn patellar tendon in a Week 6 matchup against the Eagles.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Cruz would miss the entirety of the 2015 season with a torn muscle in his leg that required surgery. Cruz would play one last season with the NY Giants in 2016 before the team decided to release the then 30 year old.
Cruz would attempt to stay in the league with the Chicago Bears, even catching Mitch Trubisky’s first NFL TD in the preseason. However, he would be released before the 2017 season even started. During his tenure with NY, Cruz would make an All-Pro second team in 2011, and a Pro-Bowl in 2012. Despite this, his legendary “salsa dance” celebration and outstanding personality is enough for him to be a NY Giants legend. His elite level of play is really just icing on the cake.
3. LB Jason Pierre-Paul
Up next we have one of the more underrated NY Giants players of the last decade in Jason Pierre-Paul, who was key to the Giants Super Bowl victory in 2011. In that season, Paul would tally 86 combined tackles, an absurd 16.5 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and seven pass deflections. Paul would go on to make a Pro Bowl, be a First Team All-Pro and place fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
This would end up being by far the best season of JPP’s career. When healthy, Pierre-Paul was a dominate player. Paul would have 20+ tackle for loss seasons four out of the eight years he was on the team. He would also go on to have two double-digit sack seasons, all while making two Pro Bowls and that aforementioned First Team All-Pro honor.
While Cruz was arguably better in his prime, JPP lasted longer in the league and possibly had a better career. Paul would play for the Giants from 2010 to 2017. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a third and fourth-round pick.
These picks ended up turning into B.J Hill, who the Giants eventually traded for nothing, and Kyle Lauletta, who was only on the Giants for one season. This was a start of things to come for at the time new GM Dave Gettleman. JPP’s career with the NY Giants was full of ups and downs. However, Pierre-Paul had plenty of ups that made him worthy of being selected as the third-best NY Giant since 2010.
2. WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Up next is one of the most polarizing players in NY sports history, Odell Beckham Jr. In his prime, OBJ was arguably the best receiver of all time for the NY Giants. After being drafted 12th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Beckham burst onto the scene his rookie year. He smashed almost all of the NY Giants rookie receiving records, catching 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs. Beckham would go on to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award while also making a Pro Bowl.
It was also during this rookie season that OBJ made arguably the greatest catch in NFL history against the Dallas Cowboys. Beckham would follow up his rookie season well, making a Pro Bowl and earning Second Team All-Pro honors.
However, a combination of issues on the field, and injuries, would cause everything to come crumbling down as fast as it rose. Whether it be his beef with former All-Pro corner Josh Norman, or his love-hate relationship with a field goal net, OBJ started to have several issues on the field that made Giants fans begin to dislike him. Some even called him a “locker room cancer.”
Following another fantastic 2016 season, it seemed as if Beckham was due for another All-Pro level season. To start 2017, it seemed that way, as Beckham would catch 25 passes for 302 yards and 2 TDs. However, OBJ’s campaign would come to an end after breaking his ankle in a Week 5 matchup against the then San Diego Chargers.
OBJ would follow this season up with a very solid showing in 2017, catching 77 passes for 1,052 yards and 6 TDs. However, tensions between Beckham, the front office and the fans reached a boiling point, leading to OBJ being traded in 2018.
Since being traded Beckham has yet to play even close to his early days. However, OBJ was rewarded for his struggles with a well deserved Super Bowl ring this past year with the Los Angeles Rams.
Similar to Pierre-Paul, Beckham’s time with the Giants was full of ups and downs. When things were up, the team found success and so did Beckham. However, when things were down, everyone suffered the consequences.
1. QB Eli Manning
This should come as a surprise to no one. The greatest QB in Giants history Eli Manning takes the cake as the best player since 2010. The end of Manning’s career was not as glorious as some would hope, as the front office did such an awful job at building around him after the 2011 Super Bowl that it was almost impossible for any QB to succeed.
For starters, though, let’s talk about the 2011 Super Bowl. One of the greatest throws NY fans have ever seen ever came when Manning lobbed it downfield to Mario Manningham, who made an unrealgrab. Manning willed the NY Giants to their Super Bowl victory, deservingly winning MVP.
In this same season, Manning would throw for 4,933 yards and 29 TDs, all while making his second career Pro Bowl. This season and Super Bowl alone are enough to make Manning the best player since 2010. However, Manning wasn’t finished, as he would go on to make another Pro Bowl the following season, and he made his final Pro Bowl in 2015.
Since 2010, Manning had five seasons in which he threw for over 4,000 yards. There were also five campaigns of at least 25 touchdowns. Manning would remain the starter of the team until 2019. That year, after two games, No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones took over as QB1. Manning would be Jones’ backup for the remainder of the season, even playing two games in his absence.
Going out in true winner’s style against the Dolphins in a Week 15 victory, Manning then returned to his role as backup and retired at the end of the season. Regardless of Manning’s play towards the end of his career, his career as a whole is enough to make him one of the better QBs of all time. He’s got a future in the Hall of Fame.