On one hand, the Giants made no major changes after sinking to 3-14 in 2024. On the other hand, co-owner John Mara declared after the season that he’s “just about run out of patience.”
The situation creates a strange dynamic for the Giants in 2025. Mara’s words will naturally make coach Brian Daboll and G.M. Joe Schoen believe they need to win in 2025, or else. Which could cause them to make moves aimed at maximizing the team’s success this year, at the potential expense of laying the foundation for longer-term success.
At the center of this difficult balance is the quarterback position. They were interested in adding Matthew Stafford. Now that he’s off the board, they’ve been linked to Aaron Rodgers. Both are the kind of quarterback who can provide, best-case scenario, a short-term boost. But then what?
A young quarterback could pay dividends, in time. But perhaps not in time to save the current regime.
The vibe has been that they’d like to emerge from the offseason with one of each. If they sign someone like Rodgers, do they still take a quarterback at No. 3? Parking a rookie on the bench won’t help produce the kind of results that will keep Mara’s patience tank from hitting E. If the goal is to win now, they need to take the best available plug-and-play player when they’re on the clock.
Mara surely realize the predicament his coach and G.M. face. Between winning now and building for tomorrow, they’ll want to win now.
That’s why, now that Mara has decided to keep both men in place, they need to know he’ll indeed have the patience that lets them think about the team’s best overall interests.
Maybe he has told them, privately. Maybe his “patience” remark was about blowing off steam and/or pandering to fans who have even less patience than he does. Regardless, it’s rarely an ideal approach to have the coach and the G.M. believe their jobs are on the line in the upcoming season. Because they’ll naturally do what it takes to win in the coming year, without regard to whether they’ll take a step back in the next one.
Really, why should they care about the next one if there’s a good chance they won’t be sticking around for it?
The fact that this year’s quarterback class lacks the same number of clear-cut future starters as 2024 makes it a little easier. Sign a veteran. Take a quarterback in round two or three. And hope he can be ready to take over after Rodgers or whoever else they sign.
It won’t be easy for the Giants to get to the playoffs in 2025. If they do whatever they think they need to do to get there, it could compromise 2026. Watching them strike that balance would make an offseason spin on Hard Knocks nearly as entertaining as it was in 2024.
Of course, given how last year’s experience turned out, the Giants will never do that again. Along with the other 31 NFL teams.
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