For reasons unbeknownst to fans — and presumably blackmail-related (cannot confirm) — third-year wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is somehow still on the New York Giants roster.
After struggling to carve out a role all season, Sunday offered a perfect chance to prove why Big Blue traded up to draft the speedster in the third round back in 2023. With Malik Nabers out for the season and Darius Slayton nursing a hamstring injury, Hyatt had the opportunity to actually contribute — maybe even remind the organization why they ever believed in him.
But just when you thought the circumstances could finally drag something out of him, he completely quit on the team on the most important play of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Jameis Winston led the Giants down the field, trailing 27-20. With 40 seconds left, Winston looked Hyatt’s way in the end zone — only Hyatt wasn’t there. He gave up on the route, the ball was intercepted, and for all intents and purposes, that was the game.
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Immediately following the game, Giants legend and all-time rushing leader Tiki Barber torched Hyatt for his lack of effort, hitting him with a harsh truth bomb that should serve as a wake-up call, but probably won't
"Jalin Hyatt doesn't play football like a wide receiver who wants to get the football. It's his lack of urgency, which is going to ultimately ruin his career."
Jalin Hyatt’s latest blunder should be the last straw for Giants
General manager Joe Schoen traded up with the Los Angeles Rams to select the 24-year-old with the 73rd pick in the 2023 Draft. The G-Men gave up their 89th and 128th picks to grab the former Biletnikoff Award winner out of Tennessee.
It’s one of Schoen’s biggest draft misses — and it likely plays a role in why Hyatt is still on the team. The 46-year-old’s ego is too fragile to admit the mistake and move on.
As for Hyatt, it doesn’t get much worse than this. He’s been struggling to see the field, and this is the effort he puts out there when finally given an opportunity? It’s a slap in the face to every other receiver in the league grinding for a roster spot. For Big Blue, it sends the wrong message — that this kind of performance is tolerated. That’s the stuff that holds franchises back.
These are professional players who don’t play with the urgency or effort required to compete in the National Football League. It’s wild.
Hyatt's response after the game won't do him any favors, either, saying: "Just got to make a play, simple as that." If it were that simple, he wouldn’t be answering postgame questions about effort in Year 3. Just take accountability and do better.
It's a joke. This team is going to continue going nowhere with this kind of play and attitude infecting the locker room. It's loser mentality at its finest.