SNY/Giants Former New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman "retired" in January.
When the New York Giants selected quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, former general manager Dave Gettleman took a lot of heat. Jones was not expected to go that early, and the Giants had other needs to address.
But Gettleman was defiant in the face of criticism.
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“In three years, we’ll find out how crazy I am,” Gettleman infamously told Peter King back in 2019.
Well, here we are three years later and Gettleman is no longer with the team. He “retired” last January, after compiling a 19-46 record (and zero playoff appearances) in four seasons as Giants GM.
Although the past three years turned out to be a disaster, Gettleman was supremely confident in his work following the 2019 draft.
“The bottom line is, I have confidence in what I do and who I am,” Gettleman told King three years ago. “I’ve been a part of organizations that had pretty good quarterbacks — Jim Kelly, John Elway, Kerry Collins, Eli Manning, Cam Newton. I’ve led a charmed life with the quarterbacks on the teams I’ve worked for. I know what good ones look like. The other thing is, résumés matter. Every once in a while, I wish the people taking the shots would take a minute to look at my résumé. I’ve been part of teams that went to seven Super Bowls. I had a hand in some of them. But today, there’s no patience. And there’s no room for civil discourse in our society, which I find sad.”
As bad as the team was under Gettleman, what’s worse for his lasting legacy is the fact that Jones is no closer to “franchise QB” status today than he was three years ago. The Giants recently turned down the fifth-year option in his rookie contract, meaning Jones will be in a contract year this fall and is currently slated to become a free agent next spring.
Maybe Jones will finally break through under the leadership of new general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, but the Giants are quite candidly betting against that with their decision to turn down his option.
“Being the quarterback of the New York Giants is a mental load,” Gettleman told King in 2019. “If you can’t handle the mental aspect, you can’t make it. That’s one of the things we liked about Daniel.”
Brian Daboll Sends Message To Daniel Jones
Jones may not be New York’s quarterback of the future, but Daboll and Schoen are stuck with him for at least Year 1. The team’s new head coach recently detailed what he wants to see from the 24-year-old signal caller in 2022.
Brian Daboll on Daniel Jones to @TikiAndTierney: “I want him to be himself and not be afraid of consequences, pull the trigger and attack.” #Giants
“I want him to be himself and not be afraid of consequences, pull the trigger and attack,” Daboll Said during an appearance on WFAN’s Tiki and Tierney (via Zach Rosenblatt on Twitter).
That sounds like the Giants want to see the 2019 version of Jones. Although the Giants did not win many games that year, Jones threw 24 touchdown passes in 13 games played under former head coach Pat Shurmur that year.
The following offseason, Shurmur was fired and in came Joe Judge and Jason Garrett. They put guardrails on Jones to help limit turnovers and, in turn, made him into a less dynamic playmaker. The Giants didn’t win any additional games as a result.
Maybe Daboll has the formula to unleash Jones and win a decent number of games.
Gettleman’s Parting Gift For The New Regime
Gettleman’s tenure as Giants GM will probably go down as one of the worst in team history, but he did do something in his final draft that could benefit the franchise for years to come. His decision to trade back with the Chicago Bears netted the Giants their first-round pick in this year’s draft, which was used to select offensive tackle Evan Neal.
Neal has the potential to be a franchise cornerstone. If he lives up to that potential, the Giants will have Gettleman (in part) to thank.