A week ago, the New York Giants may have been asking themselves, "Why not us?" After all, they have the lead in the NFC East, and the conference looks wide open outside of an injury-prone San Francisco 49ers team. After the trade frenzy of the last few days, Big Blue's thoughts should be more along the lines of, "Oh, that's why."
The top teams in the conference have entered a trade deadline arms race that doesn't seem to have any limits. It started in the NFC West, with the Seattle Seahawks trading for Quenton Nelson and the 49ers quickly responding by adding DeForest Buckner.
Then, the Chicago Bears blew the doors off the deadline with a blockbuster deal for Jeffery Simmons. That's three Pro Bowlers (two of them All-Pros) added to the conference in the span of a few days.
The Giants are an exciting team. A competent team, even. But after the additions that the NFC's top contenders have made in the trade market, it's abundantly clear that John Harbaugh's team is too far away from contending to wager real resources on this season.
Giants need to take a look in the mirror after Bears' Jeffery Simmons trade
Stack New York's roster up against the most competitive teams in the conference. Sure, players like Andrew Thomas and Malik Nabers are near the top of their positions. But if you go star-for-star against the 49ers, Seahawks, or Bears, it quickly becomes obvious that the Giants aren't on the same level.
And that's okay.
The G-Men picked in the top five of the draft about six months ago. They're in their first season under Harbaugh. The level of success they've already reached is beyond encouraging, especially considering how many injuries are holding them back. The fact that they're in the driver's seat of the NFC East near the season's midpoint is a win, even if they stumble in the coming months.
To take this encouraging start as a sign to drop first- or second-round draft picks on a star veteran for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses would be a mistake.
Players like Jonathan Taylor seem to be available for teams willing to give up significant draft capital. After the Simmons deal, it seems like nobody is untouchable. But the Giants shouldn't be shopping at the top of the market at the deadline. They're just not close enough to contending for those moves to make sense.
Giants are dangerously close to following in the Colts' footsteps at the trade deadline
In the spirit of Halloween, let me tell you a scary story: It's the first week of November, 2025. The Indianapolis Colts have one of the best offenses in football, and at 7-2, they think they're ready to push for a Super Bowl. So, they go all-in, trading two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner.
In the ensuing weeks, their season collapses, and they miss the playoffs entirely. A year later, the general manager who made that trade is jobless, and the franchise is years away from competing.
The spookiest part? The Giants are one step away from making the same mistake.
A high-profile trade for a star player would be exciting in the moment, but it could set the franchise back more than it would propel it forward. Harbaugh and Joe Schoen should learn from the Colts' nightmarish lesson and stay the course.
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