The New York Giants have come out of the gate this season with a 1-5 record, which means co-owner John Mara will once again face the indignity of sitting through another December of meaningless football.
The Giants’ chances of qualifying for the postseason is a whopping 2 percent. It would take a miracle for them to even get close to a .500 record this season.
Since they can’t beat Dallas or Philadelphia, whom they have three remaining games with, that would put them at eight losses even if they won their other remaining games.
Do you see miracles coming out of this team? If you do, then power to you. The real course of action here is for general manager Joe Schoen to identify his core and attempt to deal as many non-core pieces as possible by the October 31 NFL trading deadline.
Here are seven trade candidates they may consider.
RB Saquon Barkley
The Giants balked at signing Saquon Barkley to a long-term deal because of his injury history and it is against the current NFL success track to pay running backs big money.
Instead, they took a ‘wait and see’ approach and forced him to play under the franchise tag (a remodeled one-year deal).
The Giants waited and they saw. Barkley got hurt in Week 2 and missed three games. Granted they love him, the fans love him and he’s a force when healthy but they appear to be more content with a running back by committee approach.
QB Daniel Jones
It’s been five seasons and no one is sure what to make of Daniel Jones. The truth is, Jones has talent and has looked the part of a franchise quarterback at times, but then regresses into mediocrity.
Jones, like Barkley, was not drafted by Schoen and although they inked him to a four-year, $160 million deal last March, a move that seemed more owner-driven than anything else, many wonder how highly the current Giants’ regime really regards him.
Jones getting injured again this year likely put Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll on notice that their Giants’ career is tied to him and with a losing season staring them in the face, they could consider dealing him if the right offer comes along.
They are likely looking at selecting in the top 10 next April, so if they trade Jones, they can find his successor there.
The problem is, who would take Jones and his rather large contract at this point?
WR Darius Slayton
Darius Slayton was signed to a two-year, $12 million deal this past offseason but he’s only worth it if the passing game is percolating along. That hasn’t happened.
Slayton has just 17 receptions over the first six games and that is not his fault. The Giants’ offense is a mess and it may take quite a while before they get it figured out.
With that being the case, and the Giants leaning towards getting the younger wideouts such as Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson more targets, Slayton can be had by a team looking for a veteran pair of hands down the stretch.
DL Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams is likely gone after this season anyway and could be difficult to deal unless the Giants eat a good portion of his remaining contract.
That would only come after a team agreed to trade for him and then there is the matter of what you might be able to get in return for him.
Williams, 29, is still a reliable player but if you’re tuning the page on this team, he’s not a player you rebuild with.
CB Adoree' Jackson
Adoree’ Jackson is another impending free agent who won’t likely be back unless he agrees to play for much less.
He is still starting material in the NFL but teams likely won’t want him unless the Giants sweeten the deal by digesting some of that lofty contract.
S Xavier McKinney
Some may consider Xavier McKinney to be a core player but if that were the case, why haven’t the Giants extended him? He’s playing on the final year of his rookie deal with his future uncertain.
The answer could lie in what happened last year when McKinney shattered his hand in a non-football-related incident during the bye week that cost him to miss most of the remainder of the season.
The Giants likely haven’t forgotten that. McKinney has returned and is playing at a high level again but the Giants haven’t played well overall on defense thus far and as a leader, he has to bear the brunt of some of that.
Any team that deals for McKinney might want assurances they get him for multiple seasons.
LB Azeez Ojulari
Let’s start by saying this is not going to happen. Then, let’s talk about how it can happen.
Azeez Ojulari, who was drafted by Dave Gettleman, can’t stay on the field. He’s been injured more often than not the last two seasons and the Giants may be getting tired of waiting for him to pop.
No team is likely to trade for him, but if one comes calling, the Giants could listen.
