Folks, it’s been nearly three weeks since the Giants season came to a “crash landing” in Philadelphia. We’ve all had time to digest everything that happened and what went wrong in the season and in the game against the Eagles. As I do every season, I release my ideal offseason plan for the Giants. Here is my New York Giants 2023 offseason plan.
1. Don’t Sign Daniel Jones To A Bad Contract
You may be thinking that the term “bad” is a vague description but let me be explicitly clear: If the Giants give Daniel Jones any guaranteed money beyond the first year of his contract then it’s a bad contract.
Inevitably, they’re going to sign him. They shouldn’t. They’d be better off walking away from mediocre quarterback play and waiting it out for an elite guy. But John Mara still owns the team so bad decisions are going to be made.
Daniel Jones is a historically bad quarterback. I’ve never seen a quarterback’s tires get pumped harder for being mediocre in one season.
Making this guy your franchise quarterback would be a massive mistake. If you tag him and when he regresses you’re able to move on from him in 2024, so be it. Committing to him long term is virtually guaranteeing you’ll never compete for a Super Bowl.
2. Let Saquon Barkley Walk
I get it, Saquon is really talented and he was “touched by the hand of God,” but paying running backs is bad business. So part two of my New York Giants 2023 Offseason plan is to let him walk.
It’s safe to say that Saquon Barkley’s deal will be at least $12M in average annual value unless he’s tagged and that will drastically impact what the Giants can do with their cap space this offseason. The Giants would be better off allocating that money to improving wide receiver, interior offensive line, and cornerback.
3. Acquire Two New Starting Interior Offensive Linemen
The Giants have a massive hole in the middle of their offensive line. Virtually everyone who played in the middle of the offensive line this season needs to be/will be replaced by a better long term solution. I would love to see the Giants sign a veteran offensive guard/center to come in and start in 2023. As for the other two spots, utilize a draft pick on a player who can become a day 1 starter and hope that Josh Ezeudu makes the jump into starting in 2023.
4. Intelligently Acquire a Number One Wide Receiver
Here’s the deal: The Giants are not “one player away” from being a Super Bowl contender. It’s going to take a village, especially if Daniel Jones is the quarterback. This team can’t sell the farm away for a number one wide receiver. They have to acquire one intelligently.
I don’t believe that the Giants will find one at pick twenty five of the draft this season. I also don’t think there’s one in free agency. This team needs to be creative about improving the wide receiver position and it’s likely not going to happen overnight.
5. Sign/Draft a Starting Cornerback
The 2023 draft class is absolutely loaded at cornerback. The Giants could likely stay and pick at pick number twenty five and get a solid cornerback there. If not, the Giants need to sign one in free agency. There could be a familiar face who may want to come back…
Other Things I’d Like to See
These are more minor moves, so I’m just going to list them.
- Pick Up Andrew Thomas’s fifth year option
- Begin negotiations with Dexter Lawrence and Xavier Mckinney
- Don’t overpay Julian Love
- Get more depth at edge rusher
- Get more depth at tight end
- Don’t overpay for a middle linebacker (the running back of the defense)
- Restructure or cut Leonard Williams’s contract
There’s my list. I’m sure every single Giants fan will agree 100% with it.