5 players the NY Giants gave up on too soon since 2000

Cleveland Browns defensive end and former Giant Olivier Vernon (54) talks to old teammates B.J. Hill
Cleveland Browns defensive end and former Giant Olivier Vernon (54) talks to old teammates B.J. Hill / Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via
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1. DT Linval Joseph

Again, another defensive lineman the NY Giants let go of too soon here. However, unlike the previous two, Linval Joseph was not let go of by Gettleman, instead, Jerry Reese let Joseph walk in the summer of 2014 when he signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

Joseph was rather solid during his time with the Giants, but once he joined the Vikings, he took the next step into stardom, making two consecutive Pro Bowls in 2016 and 2017. Since then, Joseph has remained as one of the better DL in the NFL. While in recent seasons he has taken a step down, this is more due to the fact that he's 34 years old more than anything else.

Adding Joseph to a Giants defensive line that at one point featured Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon, and Damon Harrison would have made for arguably the best tandem in the NFL at the time. Keeping Joseph wouldn't have been a league-shattering move, but keeping him around with what was once an elite defensive line core would have been so much fun to watch.

This move may not have had dire consequences like other players previously listed, but Joseph has arguably been the best since leaving New York and is a player the team should have kept around regardless of how good the Giants were at the time.

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