The New York Giants are in no position to help anyone but themselves, yet that’s exactly what they did on Monday.
Immediately after the New England Patriots hired head coach Mike Vrabel, expectations arose that Ryan Cowden would jet East Rutherford in favor of Foxboro. The only uncertainty was the logistics.
Would the Patriots trade for Cowden? Would there be some handshake agreement and return for the Giants?
The answer to all of those questions is, “no.”
On Monday, the Giants released Cowden from his contract so that he could join the Patriots in a role yet to be determined. It was a decision made out of respect for Cowden, who is close friends with Giants general manager Joe Schoen.
One of New York’s top front office executives is now gone and the Giants received nothing for it.
The added irony is that one of the few reasons Giants co-owner John Mara offered for his decision to retain Schoen was because of the front office he assembled. Cowden was at the very top of that list, serving as the executive advisor to the GM — a role created specifically for him.
“I think the staff that he’s assembled around him and the process that we go through now and the information that we have in making personnel decisions is better than I’ve ever seen it before,” Mara said in his year-end press conference.
Compounding matters, the Giants have done the exact opposite with assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Despite his desire to leave, they blocked him from taking OC interviews a year ago and are prepared to do the same if any are requested this year.
The Giants also “promoted” Kafka to assistant head coach last offseason to prevent another team (see: Seattle Seahawks) from doing the same and creating an avenue for him to leave.
The decision to let Cowden walk away free and clear was Schoen’s first of the offseason. And on Monday, the Giants got worse while the Patriots got better.
