Oh, the NFL trade deadline. There's nothing quite like it. It's a time when aspirations and dreams supersede logic in the most irrational yet rational way possible. A time when a fan's favorite team would, should, and could trade for that perfect player to put them over the top. It's silly SZN in the best way and really brings out the creativity in all of us.
Unless you're a New York Giants fan — that's where any and all hopes and dreams go to die.
Speaking of the Giants, their season is all but over, everything is a complete mess, and they're doing absolutely nothing to fix any of it. Which is awesome, considering that at the center of all their decision-making should be rookie quarterback sensation Jaxson Dart, but trusting this regime to do the right thing is like asking Deonte Banks to make a tackle.
Tuesday's trade deadline presented general manager Joe Schoen with the perfect opportunity to do something... anything to help surround Dart with a bit more oomph, but the much-maligned exec failed to do so, throwing the franchise's 22-year-old savior to the wolves.
Jaxson Dart is Giants' biggest trade deadline loser by a mile
No one, except for maybe head coach Brian Daboll, thought the 25th overall pick would be this good this early on. The knock on Dart coming out of Ole Miss was he's more potential than polish — that he was more of a developmental quarterback than finished product.
Well, six starts into his career, and that analysis is pretty laughable.
However, that doesn't mean he's perfect, or elite. There's promise for sure, but he's not at the point where he's single-handedly elevating an offense like a Joe Burrow or a Patrick Mahomes is. And that's kind of the point.
With Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo out for the rest of the season, the offense has lacked juice. You could hand this offense a stick of dynamite, and it still wouldn't be explosive. The lack of playmakers and weapons has put Dart in a compromising position of having to do too much.
Deadline day saw two receivers change cities — Jakobi Meyers was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Rashid Shaheed's New Orleans Saints tenure was sent packing west to the Seattle Seahawks. While both names surfaced as potential targets for Big Blue, they weren't the only ones.
Listen, at 2-7, it was tough to envision the Giants swinging big on a blockbuster deal. But not bringing in anyone is a nightmare scenario for the development of their promising rookie.
Conversely, not trading away anyone to bring in a future asset could also prove somewhat bone-headed in the long run. Not saying Evan Neal or Jalin Hyatt were bringing in a top-tier pick, but still. At least it would've been something.
Leave it to the Giants to finally find a franchise quarterback, only to leave him hanging when it mattered most. Great stuff, guys.