Another Super Bowl has come and gone, and with it comes yet another former New York Giants first-round pick celebrating a championship—just not with the Giants. Saquon Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, helped the hated Philadelphia Eagles hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIX, marking the fifth straight year that a former Giants first-rounder has won a ring after leaving New York.
At this point, it’s becoming a cruel joke. The Giants, stuck in a seemingly endless rebuild, are watching their former top picks thrive on better-run teams.
Meanwhile, Big Blue continues to spin its wheels, unable to capitalize on its own talent. From Jason Pierre-Paul in Tampa Bay to Odell Beckham Jr. in Los Angeles, and even Kadarius Toney somehow stumbling into two rings with the Chiefs, ex-Giants keep winning while their former team sinks further into the abyss of irrelevance.
For Giants fans, the frustration isn’t just that former first-round picks are thriving elsewhere—it’s that they only seem to win once they leave New York. Whether it’s poor draft evaluations or a failure to develop talent, the pattern is undeniable. The Giants have become a pipeline for contenders, shipping out players who suddenly find success the moment they land in a better-run organization. Fantastic.
Five years of watching former Giants win the Super Bowl not in Blue, Red, and White is terrible
Here's a look at the brutal list of ex-Giants who have found Super Bowl success in recent years:
- Super Bowl LV (2020 season): Jason Pierre-Paul (Buccaneers) helped shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
- Super Bowl LVI (2021 season): Odell Beckham Jr. (Rams) scored a touchdown before tearing his ACL in the first half.
- Super Bowl LVII (2022 season): Kadarius Toney (Chiefs) had a crucial touchdown and the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.
- Super Bowl LVIII (2023 season): Toney won another ring despite being benched for most of the season.
- Super Bowl LIX (2024 season): Saquon Barkley (Eagles) wasn’t dominant in the game, but he did enough to contribute to Philly’s win. His first season in Philly was incredible and a direct indictment of general manager Joe Schoen's decision-making.
That’s five consecutive Super Bowls where a former Giants first-round pick walked away with a championship. And in those same five years? The Giants have made the playoffs once, winning a single postseason game.
It’s a brutal reality check for a franchise that once prided itself on building through the draft and developing talent. Now, the best players they draft don’t stick around long enough to make a difference.
If this pattern doesn’t force Schoen and the front office to rethink how they draft, evaluate, and retain talent, nothing will. The Giants can’t keep misfiring on their picks, letting their best players walk, and watching them win rings somewhere else. This isn’t bad luck—it’s bad management.