After Giants' spending spree, it's still up to Daniel Jones to cash in
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones jogs off the field following a three and out against the Ravens in the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 27, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. Credit: Getty Images/Rob Carr
If there is one thing we’ve learned since the start of unrestricted NFL free agency nearly 30 years ago, it is this: You cannot buy your way to a Super Bowl championship. Just not happening.
Many teams have tried, and all have failed, with both New York teams on the list of those that tried. And failed.
The 2015 Jets doled out $133 million in guarantees with a back-to-the-future gambit to reacquire cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, sign nickel corner Buster Skrine and guard James Carpenter, and traded for receiver Brandon Marshall and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. They ended up one horrific loss in Buffalo from getting to the playoffs, and they’ve gotten no closer in the years since.
The 2016 Giants went on a $200 million bender to acquire defensive standouts, including Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins. And while they got to the playoffs that year for what turned into a one-and-done in Green Bay, they haven’t been back since.
The league is littered with other examples of teams that gambled — and lost — on big-money free agents. While they might provide a temporary respite, the result is invariably a sugar high that wears off quickly.
Which brings us to the 2021 Giants and Dave Gettleman’s free-agency splurge on wide receiver Kenny Golladay, cornerback Adoree' Jackson, tight end Kyle Rudolph, running back Devontae Booker and wide receiver John Ross. Throw Leonard Williams into the mix, too, because they had to spend big to keep the defensive lineman for whom they traded in 2019.
That’s close to $200 million in a year in which many teams were constricted by salary-cap considerations brought on by reduced revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gettleman swung for the fences on Golladay and Jackson and had to pony up $63 million for Williams’ three-year deal.
Is this another desperate attempt by a general manager whose legacy is on the line with a team he hasn’t gotten to the playoffs? Are we about to add Gettleman’s name to the scrap heap of failed free-agency investments?
We’re not quite there yet.
Oh, you can argue that Golladay and Jackson are boom-or-bust signings, especially considering their recent injury history. Best-case scenario for Golladay is that he comes close to doing for Daniel Jones what Plaxico Burress once did for Eli Manning in the passing game. And if Jackson can come close to being the quality cover corner that once made him a first-round pick of the 2017 Titans, then it adds to a secondary that looks like it has mostly recovered from the botched drafting of DeAndre Baker 2019.
Assistant GM Kevin Abrams acknowledged Tuesday that the team’s aggressiveness this year might lead to a tighter salary-cap squeeze in 2022, but if the net result is an improved record this season, then that’s a price well worth paying.
Rudolph is another important, yet affordable piece of the puzzle, as the Giants get a quality tight end and a big-time red-zone target for a team and a quarterback that struggled in that area last season. And Booker is a capable backup for Saquon Barkley, who comes off a torn ACL.
Re-signing Williams was perhaps the highest priority and getting him back on a three-year deal made sense. Despite a slow start from Williams upon being traded by the Jets midway through the 2019 season, he developed into a stud defender last year and became an integral part of an improved defense.
Bottom line here: Gettleman added quality without ripping apart the salary cap, something that teams guilty of trying to buy their way out of mediocrity often do. And no matter how many players he acquired, this team still boils down to this irrefutable truth: They will only be as good as Jones can make them.
It’s really that simple. Now that Joe Judge has added stability at the head coaching position, it’s the quarterback’s play that will determine their future. What Gettleman has tried to do is simply surround Jones with as much talent as he can.
"I’ve always believed that you draft the guy that you feel is going to be your franchise quarterback," he said. "First thing you’ve got to do is get people around him to keep him upright and then you’ve got to get him playmakers . . . Kenny [Golladay] was available, we make the deal that’s obviously going to help Daniel. Kyle Rudolph is a professional tight end, he’s been in the league 10 years, he knows all the ins and outs, he’s still a good player, of course that helps Daniel."
There is still some work to be done on the offensive line, and next week’s draft will bring even more help Jones’ way. By the time they take the field in September, they'll do so with an better roster after an improved 2020 season.
After that, it’s up to the quarterback and a supporting cast that’s good enough to make it work.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
