On February 7, 2012, a ticker tape parade took place down the Canyon of Heroes in New York. Over a million fans came out to worship their New York football heroes, and screamed as soon as they caught a glimpse of them. New York Giants And the Super Bowl XLVI trophy they brought home.
It was a magical day. It was the kind of sports festival that only New York can offer.
Who knew that would be the last good moment for New York football for more than a decade?
Well, to be fair, there have been other good moments over the nearly 13 years. But for both the giants and jetThere haven’t really been that many. Over the last 12.5 seasons, New York’s two teams have a combined record of an abominable 149-256-1, including 2-6 for each of them so far in 2024. This includes only four winning seasons by any team (three by the Giants), only two playoff berths (both by the Giants), and an astonishing 17 combined seasons of double-digit losses, with the possibility of two more to come.
It could be even worse for the Jets who have spent the last 55 years only dreaming of a Super Bowl berth. They are on track to miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, and have not played a home playoff game since 2002 – eight years before their current stadium opened.
But the truth is that the giants are at their worst in this New York futility marathon. They have won only 78 of their 203 regular season games since the beginning of 2012 (.387 winning percentage). The Jets have won only 71, with a winning percentage of .350.
Yes, there’s always next year, which has become a familiar notion in New York. But will next year really be better for either team? Here’s a closer look at the state of these two organizations and whether there is any hope for a revival of New York football in the near future:
advance office
Giants: The Giants hired Joe Schoen three years ago and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. He has a long history of not replacing general managers. They had just three from 1979-2017. And John Mara has said that nothing derails an organization more than a GM change, which is why he waited so long to fire Dave Gettleman as he did.
Returns for scones are mixed. Their drafts haven’t been great, but they made a bold trade for an edge rusher brian burnsAnd let’s not forget he helped put together a playoff team in his first season. Their decision to pay the quarterback Daniel Jones (four years, $160 million) instead of running backs Saquon Barkley He’s not aging well, but it seems like Mara is committed to finding a new QB and letting him build this team his way for a few more years.
Joe Douglas: It’s important to remember that owner Woody Johnson was taking on the ambassador role when Douglas was hired in 2019, because it sounds like Johnson is ready to clean house. Douglas had already seen that his chosen coach had been fired. His strategy to fully engage the aging quarterback aaron rodgers His face has exploded. And their overall record is a disappointing 29-62.
He has generally performed well in the draft, with big hits like cornerback Sauce Gardnerreceiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall Who compensates for disasters like quarterback zach wilsonAnd he’s never shied away from bold moves like trading for a receiver davante adams or side runner Hassan ReddickOf course, the Redick deal was a failure because Douglas didn’t sign before he was traded, which certainly doesn’t help his case.
It’s always hard to predict what Woody Johnson will do, but barring a change at the end of the season, Douglas is very likely to eventually pay for his record and mistakes.
head coach
Giants: Mara said Brian Daboll is safe – or, more accurately, he said, “I don’t expect to make any changes.” It’s not because of what Daboll has done. After all, he’s just 17-24-1. That’s because Mara is embarrassed by the fact that he’s been through five coaches in the nine years since ousting Tom Coughlin. He wants stability, but he hasn’t had it for almost a decade.
While the jury is out on Daboll as head coach, he is still a respected offensive mind and there is a feeling in the organization that he is the right person to groom the next quarterback – whoever that may be. He’s also close to Schoen, so barring some disaster he’ll be back in 2025. He may not get anything more than this.
jet: They already fired Robert Saleh after a 2–3 start to the season and a 20–36 overall record. And former defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich (0-3) is still looking for his first win since then. If Ulbricht can somehow make a dramatic turnaround in the second half, there’s certainly a chance he’ll get the full-time job. But most likely, they may be looking for someone else.
Actually the big question is who will select the coach? Will Douglas get another chance? Will the Jets hire a new GM and let him choose the coach? Or will Woody Johnson do it on his own?
quarterback
Giants: The Giants have Daniel Jones under contract for the next two seasons, but there’s a big chance for him this offseason if they want. If they waived Jones, they would only be left with $22.2 million in excess money, which isn’t much in context, especially since they would actually be taking $19.4 million off their books. And it certainly looks like that’s where they’re headed.
Jones has not been good this season except for short bursts. It’s not all his fault, but it doesn’t really matter. Remember, the Giants were looking for his replacement last offseason when they tried to trade up in the draft drake mayWho went to New England. They’ll definitely look at the draft again in April. And don’t be surprised if they try to bring in a different veteran as an advisor to the newbie in 2025 too.
jet: Her marriage to Aaron Rodgers has left her in hell. He’s 40 years old, banged up, clearly a shell of his former self, and he’s still under contract for next season. They could cut him, but they would eat up $49 million of extra money and actually cost them $25.5 million in salary cap space. It’s a tough deal to get out of, which is why it wouldn’t be a shock if they all decide to give it another year despite evidence that it’s a failed strategy.
Either way, it’s hard to see how they don’t take a quarterback in the first round of the draft. But they can’t really turn the team into a rookie. They have a team that is built to win now, not three years from now. So if Rodgers does retire, don’t be surprised if he hits the free-agent market again where he can get Russell Wilson Or his old friend, Sam Darnold,
Personnel/Salary Cap
Giants: One of the big things Joe Schoen has done during his tenure is restore the Giants’ cap health. They signed some key players long-term (DT Dexter Lawrence, LT Andrew ThomasDE Brian Burns) redrafted the talent and put the franchise in a position where they could have $50-70 million to spend in free agency in March, depending on how they deal with Daniel Jones. What do you do.
This could be huge, because despite having a good base of talent, this team still has big holes at really important positions – especially cornerback and on the offensive line. Schoen’s draft record so far is poor, which is why these holes exist. But for the first time in a long time, they may have the ammunition to go and fill them. And they don’t have any irreplaceable free agents of their own to deal with, so they can dip into the free-agent pool at will.
jet: The shame of the Jets mess is that they actually have a strong team. They have a top-10 defense and some excellent, young skill players on offense. Almost all of them are also under contract. The main free agents the Jets have to deal with next March are safeties dj reedleft tackle tyrann smithand right tackle morgan mosesAnd OverTheCap.com estimates they’ll have $80 million in cap space (assuming they waive receiver Davante Adams or at least renegotiate his deal). This will give them as much money to spend as anyone, although they may lose some of that cap space if they decide to part ways with Aaron Rodgers.
So they’re really in a strong position with a good base of talent, a potential high draft pick, and plenty of cap space to spend. If only they could get a quarterback.
outlook
Giants: The first year of the Schoen/Daboll regime looked very promising as they went 9–7–1 and even won a playoff game. However, it turned out to be fool’s gold, and may have fooled some people in the front office as well. The truth is that they are closer to the beginning of their rebuilding project than they want to admit. There’s no doubt the talent is much better than when they arrived, and the cap health they’ve built is significant. But it looks like they’re still missing the most important piece: a quarterback.
Most likely they are going to hold a draft in April. maybe they’ll hit one jayden daniels-Like Samvedna which is good from the beginning. That’s not always the case with rookie quarterbacks. It often takes a few years for them to get better. So while this may be a good move for the long-term future, the short-term outlook is not good. It may take another step back in 2025 before they can start taking steps forward.
jet: Much of his approach depends on the whims of Woody Johnson – and to be honest, he’s really stuck in a tough situation. There’s a really good core there. With the right quarterback and coach, they can at least be a playoff team. So he might be tempted to run it back with Rodgers and perhaps even his chosen offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett.
If he does, it’s hard to imagine that things will be any better than they have been over the past two years. But the second option is also not good. If he starts with a rookie quarterback, he better learn quickly as the Jets have several key players headed for free agency, fifth-year options or contract extensions in 2026.
In other words, the Jets have some really tough options to choose from, and their window won’t stay open much longer.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for Fox Sports. He spent the last six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, spent 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter @ralphvacchiano,
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