Jets and Giants: A Tale of Two New York Teams
Both New York City-based NFL teams need to figure out a proper direction for 2025.
If you're a fan of either the New York Jets or the New York Giants, your team is not having a good season and has got a number of problems to address.
In the case of the Jets, they've already fired their head coach and, more recently, fired their general manager. In the case of the Giants, they've benched a quarterback who got a four-year deal back in 2023, who then asked for his release and got it.
Each team may be struggling but the reasons for their struggles have differed. However, in each case, the issues most likely start at the top.
Let's look at each team and see what their problems are and what's the best way to move forward.
The Jets: It's an Ownership Problem
I won't say that Joe Douglas was doing a good job as general manager or say that Robert Saleh was doing a good job as head coach. However, the problems the Jets have goes all the way to the top with owner Woody Johnson.
The issue is that, ever since Johnson fired Mike Tannenbaum as general manager, he's gone through multiple instances in which he would keep the head coach, get a new general manager, then decide to fire the head coach and keep the GM, then repeat the process. More often than not, you found a head coach and a general manager who didn't share a common vision for how the franchise should be built.
In more recent years, it seems that Johnson hasn't really had a proper structure regarding who answers to who in an organization and, in some cases, appears to have let his current starting quarterback gets his way on certain decisions.
When you look at the majority of owners, they will either hire a general manager and allow the GM to hire the head coach, or they will hire the GM and head coach separately but make sure that the two will work together for a common vision. Furthermore, they allow those people in charge to make decisions and evaluate them based on those decisions.
Johnson, however, hasn't demonstrated that he's willing to hire a general manager and a head coach who share the same vision, then evaluate them based on that. While Saleh and Douglas were likely not going to return in 2025, the decision-making process suggests someone who is being impulsive because expectations haven't been met.
We're already hearing rumblings that Johnson will part ways with Aaron Rodgers after the season. While that is something that needs to be done, it's fair to ask if Johnson simply thought Rodgers was going to be a "magic cure" for the Jets' problems. Rodgers hasn't played up to expectations, but the issues go deeper than his play — and, no, it's not simply about Rodgers' political views.
At the root of the Jets' issues are an owner that is not taking the time to find a general manager and head coach who have a vision and a plan for how to construct the roster. From there, he needs to allow the two a few seasons to show they are getting the team in the right direction and not insist upon an immediate turnaround.
The good news for the Jets is they are in a position to do a full rebuild. They are projected to have $32.8M in cap space with 46 players under contract. Once they sign players to futures contracts, they will be in position to part ways with players who don't fit the long-term vision.
Along with cutting Rodgers (I'd make him an immediate cut but use the post-June 1 designation), the Jets need to cut Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, let all free agents who will be at least 30 years old in 2025 depart and trade either Garrett Wilson or Ahmad Gardner. The former will likely net more draft capital, but the latter may benefit the most from a change of scenery.
Over the Cap's Jason Fitzgerald (who is a Jets fan) has some other thoughts in this post, along with his most recent podcast. But one thing is clear: Johnson needs to reassess himself and his approach before he does anything else.
The Giants: They Didn't Actually Rebuild
With the Giants, I don't know how much of the direction goes back to owner John Mara. But I do know this: Some of the decisions the Giants have made were with the heart rather than the head.
When Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen were hired back in 2022, they were tasked with building a team that didn't go anywhere with David Gettleman as general manager. They passed on the quarterback draft class in 2022 (understandable as it wasn't a strong class), then the Giants reached the playoffs in 2022.
The Giants then acted like they were a legitimate playoff contender and worked to keep both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley on the roster, though the quarterback still looked average at best and the running back missed a lot of time earlier in his career with injuries.
Rather than place the franchise tag on Jones and see if he could improve, they gave Jones a four-year deal and tagged Barkley. Jones showed no improvement and Barkley wasn't good enough to keep the Giants in contention and they missed the playoffs.
Still, even as the team allowed Barkley to depart, the Giants made a trade for edge rusher Brian Burns. Though Burns is playing well, the Giants are still going to miss the playoffs because the offense is bad. Some of it can be attributed to the offensive line but the bulk of it goes back to the QB.
Compare the Giants to the Vikings, who also made the playoffs in 2022. The Vikings didn't change course, though, and still approached 2023 as though they were rebuilding. That process continued in 2024, even as the Vikings are in the playoff hunt. It remains to be seen if JJ McCarthy will be the QB they can build around but they are in a better position than they were back in 2021.
But because the Giants decided to extend Jones, apparently because they didn't want to lose Barkley, they set themselves back. True, Barkley is playing well for the Eagles, but there's no guarantee the Giants would be in playoff contention had they kept him this year.
If it was ownership who pressured Schoen and Daboll to keep Jones and Barkley together, then they shouldn't be fired after the season. However, if they are the ones responsible for that decision, then there's a valid argument to fire them both and start over.
But the worst thing the Giants can do is fire Schoen and keep Daboll. Part of the reason Schoen was hired was because he is familiar with Daboll (the man the Giants wanted to be head coach) and would work with him. What's the guarantee that a new GM will work well with Daboll?
Regardless of what happens to Daboll and Schoen, the Giants are projected to have $61.7M in cap space with 36 players under contract. The Giants don't necessarily need a full rebuild but they do need some changes on offense, particularly a quarterback they can build around.
The Giants should let wide receiver Darius Slayton test the market, but they could bring him back if he'll take a team-friendly deal. They should probably decline the fifth-year option on Evan Neal, but if he plays well in 2025, they could tag him in 2026 or consider an extension. They should consider trading Kayvon Thibodeaux for more draft capital.
Most of all, the Giants need to approach the QB situation differently than they have in the past. They can sign a veteran, but need to make it a "one year then we'll see" contract, then draft a QB at some point, even if it's not a strong class.
But the Giants cannot approach things as if they are just a few players away from playoff contention. If the current regime stays, they may have a shorter timetable, but they do need to avoid any "all in" moves in 2025. If a new regime takes over, then they can start a soft rebuild.
And if ownership did have an influence on what went down in 2023, then that needs to be recognized and that it's better to remember that, when you start a rebuild, to not assume that the work is done simply because you made the playoffs in one season.