Giants and Jets face critical in-season decisions as injuries mount
Neither the Giants nor the Jets are making the playoffs.
While that isn’t a statement of fact, it isn’t a bold prognostication either. The Giants are 1-4 after losing the Miami Dolphins 31-16 this past Sunday on the road and the Jets are 2-3 following a 31-21 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Both teams are statistically and by the fundamental eye-test two of the worst in the NFL. It contrasts with the reasonably high expectations the Giants and Jets had coming into this season. However, the Giants have played without All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas since he sustained a left hamstring injury in Week 1 and Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley suffered a high right ankle sprain in Week 2.
The Jets lost future Pro Football of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a torn left Achilles tendon on their first offensive series of the regular season. Then this past Sunday, the Jets’ best offensive lineman, Alijah Vera-Tucker, also tore an Achilles and is out for the remainder of this season. It now may change the Jets’ calculus in considering trading for a quarterback that could help them rise back into playoff contention.
The Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins, who will be a free-agent at the conclusion of the season, and is second in the league in passing yards (1,498), has been prominently reported as a possible option. The Jets’ current starter, third-year quarterback Zach Wilson, who the Jets drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, has labored filling in for Rodgers.
The Giants also have some decisions to make ahead of the October 31 trade deadline. Barkley signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Giants in July after he and the team failed to agree on a long-term deal. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor inked a 3-year, $42 million extension this past weekend with $26.5 million guaranteed—setting the market for top players at the position. The Giants may not view equal or similar money for their leading offensive player as a prudent long-term financial investment.
The deliberation of the Giants moving Barkley to a playoff contender is highly plausible and analogous to the Carolina Panthers trading running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers last October for second, third and fourth round picks in last April’s draft, and a 2024 fifth round pick. McCaffrey is an MVP candidate this season and has elevated the 49ers offense to one of the most balanced and potent in the league. Barkley could have a comparable impact.
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