Four more weeks. That’s all New York City football fans have to put up with. Four more weeks, and this terrible, terrible, no good, very bad season of… will finally be over.
In case you’re someone who doesn’t live in New York (we don’t mean you, Buffalo, your Bills are great) or follow their miserable football teams, here’s a snapshot of what’s been happening in the Big Apple lately:
The most interesting part of the New York Giants’ most recent game didn’t happen on the field, but in the air when a fan flew a plane over MetLife Stadium, towing a banner featuring team co-owner John Mara, was begged to “fix this dumpster.” firework.”
The most interesting part of the New York Jets’ most recent game took place in the locker room after the game, when star wide receiver Garrett Wilson wondered if losing was in the team’s DNA after the franchise reached the postseason for the 14th year row had missed.
Welcome to NFL football in New York. It’s a disaster.
At least some New Yorkers have Juan Soto to look forward to. (Sorry, Yankees fans).
What exactly went wrong? Pretty much everything.
The Jets thought they were one quarterback away from not only playoff contention, but Super Bowl contention when they traded for Aaron Rodgers two seasons ago. So far, that experiment couldn’t have gone much worse. They are 3-10; the head coach was fired after a Week 5 loss; the general manager was fired during their bye week; and the team has somehow managed to lose five games where they had a lead in the fourth quarter. Wilson said after Sunday’s overtime loss to the Dolphins that the Jets are like Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
And they’re not even the worst team in New York.
At 2-11, the Giants are one game worse and are on an eight-game losing streak with zero wins in the division or at MetLife Stadium. After a brutal 6-11 season in 2023, the Giants had to show themselves some progress in their third year under general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll. Instead, things have been so bad that they released their starting quarterback — the one they recently gave to a four-year, $160 million contract — in the middle of the season, while the rest of the roster has been decimated by injuries.
With postseason hopes dead before December, fans of both teams have already turned their attention to the possibility of landing a top draft pick. For the record, according to Tankathon, the Giants are currently ranked No. 2. The Jets would pick No. 7.
But of course there’s a lot more to the future than just the concept, and we wonder which team has more work to do to turn things around. That requires an analysis of what needs to be fixed and who is in charge of fixing it. That’s what we turn to The Athletics‘s Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt and Giants reporter Charlotte Carroll. They discussed three of the biggest questions these franchises will face moving forward. After reading their answers, you can decide which New York football team you think is the biggest mess.
Neither team has a franchise QB (and hasn’t for a while). Do the Giants or Jets have the better path to finding one?
giants: Some of the only good news for Giants fans in recent weeks is that their draft position just keeps getting better and better… because they keep losing. According to The AthleticsAccording to the NFL Projection Model, the Giants have a 46% chance of being the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, their ‘hold’ on a top pick in the draft is weak. Six teams, including the Jets, have three wins, and if the Giants join them, they could fall off the board due to the strength of the schedule tiebreaker.
But if the Giants secure a top pick, they will have the opportunity to select one of the draft’s top quarterbacks. Right now that looks like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward. Some evaluators believe neither is worth a top pick, but the Giants will feel the pressure to find their next franchise QB. Patience may not be an option. Maybe it will work out and they’ll get their man. Or maybe they’re back where they started after overdrafting Daniel Jones in 2019.
Whatever the Giants do in the draft, they will need to add an experienced bridge quarterback in free agency. Drew Lock, a free agent at the end of the season, hasn’t shown enough to be that player. The same goes for Tommy DeVito, an exclusive rights free agent who could be brought back on minimum salary. The Giants will want the opportunity to let their top pick sit and learn, rather than having to force him into the starter role from Day 1. And if the Giants don’t end up getting a quarterback, they’ll need a capable starter who can keep the offense afloat until next offseason.
Jets: Certainly not the Jets. Rodgers is under contract through 2025, but at this point it seems highly unlikely that he will return in 2025 – especially since his return in 2026 would come with a $35 million option bonus. The Jets will have to lose (or come close) to really get into the mix for one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, and none of these prospects are viewed as can’t-miss players. Unless the new GM has a crafty trade up his sleeve, there aren’t exactly many attractive options in free agency — and no, Sam Darnold won’t be returning. Most likely, the Jets will roll with Tyrod Taylor (or another bridge quarterback) before handing the keys to someone else down the line — whether that’s a rookie in this draft class or a future one.
Okay, with the exception of the quarterback, which roster has to do the most heavy lifting to become playoff-caliber?
giants: My beat partner, Dan Duggan, gave a great, in-depth analysis of the Giants’ building blocks. But the summary is this: While there are some high-quality players on the roster, they aren’t nearly enough to feel good about the fundamentals. As Duggan noted, Schoen hasn’t drafted or signed a single Pro Bowler in three years.
Now there are encouraging signs from rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, running back Tyrone Tracy, safety Tyler Nubin and cornerback Dru Phillips. But the Giants will need to reinvest in the offensive line after going veteran-heavy this offseason. Right guard Greg Van Roten is 34 years old and has a one-year contract, while stopgap Jermaine Eluemunor is signed for just one more season. The lack of depth on the defensive line has been exposed by injuries to Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and DJ Davidson. Additionally, cornerback was a weak spot due to uneven play and injuries.
Assuming the Giants come up with a top pick and don’t fall in love with either quarterback, they could go the trade route down the stretch, picking up more draft picks and filling out the roster that way. The team isn’t in bad shape in terms of cap space either, with around $58 million next year, according to Over The Cap, so they could plug some holes through free agency.
Jets: The Jets already have a playoff-caliber roster — maybe not as much as I would have argued a year ago, but they have a core of talent that makes the vacancy more attractive than many people give them credit for. This is the best offensive line Joe Douglas has assembled in his six years – low bar, but true – and four of the five starters are young and under contract through 2025: Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann and Alijah Vera- Tucker.
Running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson are two talented, young players to build an offense around – and on defense, they return a solid core including cornerback Sauce Gardner, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, linebackers Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson, edge Will McDonald and safety Michael Carter II. There are plenty of holes to fill on this roster, but the Jets are starting with a good base of talent.
Neither ownership group is doing very well with their respective fan bases right now. Which is better positioned to turn things around the fastest?
giants: Mara craves stability, something this franchise hasn’t had in a long time. In October, the team’s co-owner said the Giants were not making any changes in the season and that he did not expect any changes to occur in the offseason. That was six defeats ago. Have things changed?
We’re going to find out. The big question for Giants ownership is whether they will stick with Schoen and Daboll or start over. A new head coach would be the Giants’ fifth in a decade, while a new GM would be the Giants’ third since 2017. The decision will obviously have huge ramifications, not least of which will be whoever is in charge will get the choice for the franchise’s next starting quarterback.
Jets: Historically, you can better trust the Giants to turn things around faster than the Jets — though neither owner has had a particularly good resume in recent years. The biggest difference is Woody Johnson’s involvement. He has more influence on the Jets’ decision-making than Mara does with the Giants, at least on the surface. place where they consistently make the playoffs. If Johnson is willing to hand over the keys of the organization to a general manager and let him take charge, the Jets could get back on track sooner or later.
Okay, we’ve got it all sorted out for you. Now it’s time for you to choose. Which team is the biggest mess?
(Photos of Woody Johnson and John Mara: Matthew Stockman and Rich Schultz/Getty Images)