The New York Giants may not look pretty on the outside after coming off a disastrous 3-14 campaign in what was supposed to be a historic season, celebrating the franchise’s centennial. Still, things could quickly change in East Rutherford if they have a productive offseason.
I'm sure watching former Big Blue running back Saquon Barkley and divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles celebrate their Super Bowl victory was not how Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen envisioned things. Feeling heartbroken on Valentine's Day is not how Giants fans should feel.
This is an opportunity for the Giants to use what happened in 2024 as extra motivation to bring in the assets needed to win, but they'll have to address all facets of the team, from coaching to positional needs.
The Giants have already assembled their coaching staff ahead of 2025, with the additions of Marquand Manuel as the new secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator, Jeff Burris as the cornerbacks coach, Chad Hall as the assistant quarterbacks coach, Troy Brown as an offensive assistant as part of the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship, and Steven Ferentz and Grant Morgan as defensive assistants.
Now, with the NFL Draft and free agency looming, the Giants must evaluate which positions they can improve. The most pressing needs are at quarterback and offensive line.
Big Blue fans have been frustrated with the offensive line's production for several years, and with the right prospects, the team could quickly improve in this area at the NFL Draft. However, quarterback will be the position most fans monitor closely this offseason. The Giants will look to bring in both a veteran and a rookie via free agency and the draft.
If the Giants successfully improve those areas and clean up other positional needs, some NFL insiders believe they could have a significant bounce-back season in 2025.
Will the Giants steer the ship around and start winning in 2025?
In a recent article, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler categorized all 32 teams by tiers, determining who would contend and who would rebuild in 2025. The Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, and New York Giants were labeled as “rebuild in the works,” the second-lowest tier ahead of only the Patriots and Jets, who were categorized as “Yep, still rebuilding.”
If this doesn't give Giants fans hope that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, I don’t know what will. Fowler stated that quarterback is the most obvious need for New York, with Tommy DeVito being the only active signal-caller on the roster. He said acquiring a veteran like Russell Wilson or Matt Stafford to pair with a rookie would set them up nicely.
There has been some recent buzz about Stafford to Big Blue, which has gained traction over the past week after the G-Men hired Hall, the veteran quarterback's brother-in-law, as the new assistant quarterbacks coach. The Los Angeles Rams have stated they would be open to trading Stafford for the right price, and he would significantly improve New York's offense, particularly with their No. 1 pass catcher, Malik Nabers.
Defensively, the Giants look solid, especially in the pass-rushing department. Fowler stated that New York’s defensive line is the strength of the team and has enough talent to string together some wins. We just saw what a team like the Eagles could do in the Super Bowl behind a dominant defensive line, and the Giants could follow a similar path down the road.
Now, it’s on Schoen and the Giants’ front office to make the moves necessary to get Big Blue back to winning, and New York fans may not have to wait as long as they think.