It's been a while since the vibes surrounding the New York Giants have been this high. It all started when they won the John Harbaugh pursuit fairly early in the offseason, and it only grew from there.
Since hiring Harbaugh, the Giants have been quite busy this offseason, adding some elite players in free agency and seemingly striking gold in the NFL Draft nearly two weeks ago.
But of course, these moves won't mean much if Big Blue doesn't show vast improvements this season and win games after totaling a measly seven over the last two years. While it may be early, would calling the Giants contenders in 2026 be a bit of a stretch?
Giants deemed as contenders heading into 2026 season
In an article for Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport labeled the Giants as real contenders for the 2026 season with the draft and free agency in the books:
"There isn't a team in this article that won fewer games in 2025 than the New York Giants, but it's the dawn of a new day under new head coach John Harbaugh... Granted, much of that optimism hinges on the return of a healthy Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers—all three missed significant time in 2025," Davenport wrote. "But if they do, it's a solid skill-position core playing behind a top-10 offensive line that added a Day 1 starter in Round 1 rookie Francis Mauigoa."
"The defense features a litany of new faces. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is gone, but the team still had a formidable duo of edge-rushers in Brian Burns and Abdul Carter. There are new inside linebackers in veteran Tremaine Edmunds and 2026 No. 5 overall pick Arvell Reese. The secondary got a bump with the addition of cornerbacks Greg Newsome and Colton Hood," Davenport added. "If there's a team poised to make a huge jump from the outhouse to the penthouse in 2026 a la last year's New England Patriots, the Giants are that squad."
As Davenport alluded to, the health of Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo is the most important thing for the Giants this season, as the three young offensive studs look like the future of the team. We've also seen what they're capable of when healthy, which makes this season even more intriguing with Harbaugh at the helm.
Not to mention, New York seemingly knocked it out of the park with their draft class this year by bolstering their defense with the selection of Arvell Reese, as well as improving the offensive line by drafting Francis Mauigoa. You simply could not have asked for a better draft.
Again, these moves all hinge on results out of the Giants this season, but it certainly isn't outrageous to call the 2026 New York Football Giants contenders.