As we rapidly approach the start of training camp for the New York Giants, many have discussed whether the Giants will play any kind of significant football in 2025 or if they'll head back toward the top of the draft board. Unfortunately, that's been a bit of an occurrence for this once-great franchise.
Some people see the G-Men as a possible sleeper team in 2025, and to go even further, some see the Giants having a potential Top 10 defense in the NFL, which could help in their case in making a possible impact and winning some games this upcoming season. Then there are those who think the Giants are already doomed and might be looking at another season like they did in 2024 when they finished 3-14.
Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes of FOX Sports discussed on First Things First whether or not the Giants are an actual sleeper team heading into the 2025 season, and each of them had a different take.
First Things First debates whether Big Blue is NFL's sleeping giant for 2025 or not
Wright was more torn on the idea, questioning the Giants' “going developmental” at quarterback with Jaxson Dart over Russell Wilson. Ideally, that could happen at some point in the season, especially if the Giants struggle early and Brian Daboll decides to pull the plug on Wilson as the starter. Broussard was a firm no on the idea but didn’t elaborate on why.
Wildes, on the other hand, had the opposite feeling. He felt like the Giants had a certain vibe to them and that the team felt different heading into the season.
A case could be made for either side, and nobody really knows what kind of season to expect from the Giants, given all the changes made on both sides of the ball to a team that went 3-14 last season.
The quarterback room was probably one of—if not the—biggest changes the Giants made from 2024 to 2025. They went from Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle to Wilson, Jameis Winston, Dart, and DeVito. Whether Wilson can give the Giants the kind of effort and success they need remains to be seen. He started strong last season for the Steelers before faltering down the stretch. The future Hall of Fame quarterback is on a one-year deal with the Giants, and if he hopes to land another contract in 2026, he may need a season that proves he can still play at a high level.
The defense of the Giants, which has been highly discussed going back to OTAs and minicamp, is another factor in the team being a possible sleeper and a threat in the NFC playoff race. The Giants’ pass rush—featuring Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, and rookie Abdul Carter—has the potential to create havoc and give the team a real chance to compete in 2025.
The intrigue on this upcoming season is there to go along with the buzz surrounding it, as the Giants having the potential to be one of the NFL’s sleeper teams has given some fans early hope. Whether the Giants can perform up to those early expectations or not remains to be seen, but the early hype that has been generated should at least give the fanbase something to look forward to once the players put the pads on later this month for training camp.