There's plenty of blame to go around for the New York Giants' disastrous 2025 campaign. Former head coach Brian Daboll's dismissal topped the list of fall guys, though he was fired after Week 10; what's the excuse since then?
New York still stunk up the joint following Daboll being relieved of his duties -- until they decided to mess around with their draft position. It was an oddly fitting ending for this Giants group, albeit excruciatingly painful. Something about them thriving with no playoff hopes is funny, in a weird, satirical way.
Related: Russell Wilson officially has $10.5 million reasons to regret trusting the Giants
Giants fans are rightfully eager to put this year behind them and look forward to 2026 and beyond. However, before doing that, we must assess what went wrong. So, with that in mind, let's reflect on some of the biggest whiffs of the season.
These four players were supposed to be part of the solution in New York, at least based on their respective salaries. Alas, they ended up being much bigger pieces of the Giants' problems.
Russell Wilson headlines list of several Giants who underachieved in 2025
4. Darius Slayton, WR
Signing Slayton to a three-year, $36 million contract that included $22 million guaranteed this past March has aged poorly. He didn't give the Giants a bang for their buck in the first chance to prove why they made such a sizable commitment to him. It's even worse when comparing his contributions (or lack thereof) to other wide receivers who were compensated similarly in free agency.
Slayton's assurances from the Giants outdo the New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs' ($16.6 million) and Khalil Shakir of the Buffalo Bills ($18.1 million). His deal is $8 million less than that of the Los Angeles Rams' prized addition, Davante Adams, the NFL's receiving touchdown leader. See the problem?
Posting 37 catches for 538 yards and a touchdown while grading as a middling blocker seemingly isn't what the Giants hoped for from Slayton.
3. Bobby Okereke, LB
Okereke was a linchpin for the Giants' defense in his previous two seasons with the club. While the counting stats may not show it, he took a meaningful step back in Year 3.
The Giants have leaned on Okereke as a field general, which proved fruitful for a while but has ostensibly lost its luster. He yielded a career-high 13 percent missed tackle rate, by a decent margin, too, and allowed his most receiving yards in coverage (386) since 2022. Those are indications of a once-reliable contributor showing signs of decline and age (turns 30 in July).
2. Paulson Adebo, CB
There was palpable excitement about Adebo joining the Giants, and understandably so. He established himself as a solid, starting-caliber cornerback with the New Orleans Saints and figured to address a massive need. That hasn't been the case in New York, who's likely been feeling buyer's remorse much earlier than they could've ever imagined.
A knee injury has derailed Adebo, but even when healthy, he's been more of a liability than a difference-maker. The 26-year-old was tied for the 20th-most receptions allowed by a corner. Moreover, Pro Football Focus gave him a 54.7 coverage grade, which ranks 88th out of 113 qualified options at his position.
1. Russell Wilson, QB
Wilson's unceremonious benching was extremely predictable, and that's the problem! Many within the Giants faithful understood he was on borrowed time since the news of his inking a one-year pact worth "up to" $21 million broke. That was all but confirmed by Jameis Winston supplanting him as New York's backup quarterback.
It's not only that Wilson fell well short of meeting any of the benchmarks of his heavily incentivized deal. How quickly the Giants pulled the rip cord on him and how sad he went out also exacerbated the issue. The Super Bowl XLVIII champion was so clearly a shell of the 10-time Pro Bowler many of us grew up watching.
Frustration with Wilson reached a point that Big Blue Nation booed him even in the briefest of relief appearances. That alone should speak to his steep fall from grace to an illustrious 14-year career. All good things eventually come to an end; it might be time to hang up the cleats.