New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson made news on the evening of January 2, as his appearance at the New York Knicks game reignited tanking theories.
“Theo Johnson here at MSG for the Knicks game,” New York Post reporter Jared Schwartz noted on X, including a photo of the NYG tight end sitting courtside with a big smile. Schwartz went on to remind fans that Johnson is “out for Sunday’s Giants game with an illness…”
Johnson missed Week 17 with the same undisclosed illness, despite looking very happy and healthy at Madison Square Garden. And as Schwartz pointed out, the rising playmaker has also been ruled out for the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
Although it’s hard to prove that Johnson isn’t under the weather, hitting the Knicks game while recovering from a two-week “illness” is obviously a bad look, especially with the season ending in a few days.
Johnson could have just waited until next week to see the Knicks, or battled through his illness to suit up in Week 18. He did neither, fueling the rumors that the Big Blue front office is doing everything in its power to move up the draft order.
Giants Briefly Silenced Tanking Rumors Up Until Theo Johnson-Knicks News
After beating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17, the Giants managed to quell speculation that they were tanking — or purposefully losing — to secure the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. But it’s possible that the Raiders just did a better job of putting their franchise in a position to lose.
Before the game last weekend, the Giants and the Raiders’ organizations both ruled out one player after another, seemingly matching each other move for move.
The public chess match put both teams under scrutiny, as tanking is considered illegal, but in the end, the Giants emerged as the winner.
The victory gives the G-Men a sort of “get out of jail free card” if the NFL were to investigate them, which is unlikely. But Johnson’s eyebrow-raising move puts them back in the spotlight unnecessarily.
At the very least, someone from the Giants’ organization should sit down Johnson before his exit interview. Even if Big Blue isn’t trying to tank, the young tight end has to realize that if he’s ruled out with an illness, public outings like the Knicks game are certainly not on the table.
Giants Fans React to Theo Johnson’s ‘Illness’
As you’d expect, fans didn’t mince words on social media following Johnson’s ill-timed Knicks outing. Some made jokes; others seemed upset. But the common denominator was that this was not a smart move by the 2024 draft pick.
“Guy can’t even catch the flu,” one fan joked, getting in a dig about Johnson’s dropped passes.
Another reacted: “What? Can’t play on Sunday cause you’re sick but well enough to go to a sporting event???”
“That’s an interesting way to treat an ‘illness,’” Big Blue View’s social media account commented sarcastically, while another fan posted a GIF from the famed teenage hooky movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Finally, one user called the Giants an “unserious team.”
Although most of the responses had a negative undertone, one or two fans seemed to support Johnson missing the final two games.
“He understands the assignment. Committed to the tank!” One fan cheered.
Hopefully, this shortsighted move doesn’t bring about any sort of NFL investigation.
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