By Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan and www.Facebook.com/CoachMcCartan)
BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY- New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, entering his second year in East Rutherford, created the biggest tsunami in all professional sports in recent memory. Late last night, Gettleman traded Odell Beckham, Jr. to the Cleveland Browns for a 2019 1st round pick, a 2019 3rd round pick, and S Jabrill Peppers (a Don Bosco Prep product).
That is the “haul” that Beckham, Jr., the highest graded wide receiver in the National Football League, brought back for the Giants?! Either the unassuming Browns General Manger John Dorsey, in his customary gray Browns sweatshirt, is taking master-of-deception lessons from magician Criss Angel OR Gettleman has grossly undervalued Beckham, Jr.’s talent.
Gettleman: We didn’t sign Odell to trade him.
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 2, 2019
Lie.
BREAKING: OBJ has been traded to the Browns, per @MikeGarafolo pic.twitter.com/tots2AElvP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 12, 2019
Since December 29, 2017, during his tenure in New York, Gettleman has:
Damon Harrison (TRADE): One of best run stoppers in NFL @ time of trade. 2019 5th round pick (Lions)
Eli Apple (TRADE): A former NYG 1st and pick (Saints). 2019 4th round pick + 2020 7th round pick
Olivier Vernon (TRADE): Giants’ best pass rusher + a 2019 4th round pick to Browns for OL Kevin Zeitler (a for 1st and draft pick) + a 2019 5th round pick
Landon Collins (FREE AGENCY): Allowed Collins to walk, despite having garnered trade interest last season. No return.
Odell Beckham, Jr. (TRADE): Top rated WR @ time of trade. 2019 1st round pick + 2019 4th round pick + S Jabrill Peppers (Browns)
At the time of Apple’s trade, Gettleman had this to say:
Pat Shurmur, on Apple trade: Listen, we’re trying to win every game we play (but) we’re also looking at the roster on short-term and long-term basis. Said 4th & 7th rd picks were “good value” for former 1st-round pick. #NYG
— Kimberly Jones (@KimJonesSports) October 23, 2018
Yet, he convinced fans last year that the Giants were NOT in total rebuild-mode by choosing to draft Saquon Barkley (the best player in the draft) at number 2 overall. Well, clearly, what a difference a year makes.
What’s puzzling to me is this:
- Why draft Saquon Barkley, the best overall player in the draft, if your plan was to rebuild? You do not build around a running back in today’s NFL. This makes me believe that Gettleman’s plan was NOT to rebuild. Then, to open a fire sale a month and a half into the 2018 season tells me that he did not accurately evaluate the team he inherited. Because of this, in a quarterback-rich draft, Gettleman may have set the Giants back decades…. by choosing the best player available.
- Why was Landon Collins allowed to walk in free agency, which garners zero return value, when there were, reportedly, offers for him last season? When Gettleman opened the fire sale, there is no way Collins was ignored by other teams. SNY reported that Gettleman’s Giants were seeking a second-day draft pick for him. At this point, any return for him would have been fine. The Giants got nothing for him and have the pleasure of facing his Washington Redskins twice a season for the next six years.
- Why is Eli Manning still the Giants’ quarterback? Following Gettleman’s logic: if you’re going to “clean house”, you clean the whole house. Meaning: Manning would need to go, too. The only fathomable way the Giants would keep Manning is to ride the bench the entire season while mentoring a rookie quarterback. For a 2019 $23.2 million cap hit, is he worth it?
- Inevitably, Gettleman will need to pay Sterling Shepard, the Giants’ new number one receiver, who is set to hit free agency in 2020. Shepard has scored only 14 touchdowns in three full seasons. Antonio Brown (Steelers) and Eric Ebron (Colts), a tight end, caught more touchdown passes last year, alone! Something tells me that Gettleman won’t get an appropriate return value for him.
So what, really, are Gettleman’s short and long-term plans for the Giants? His logic has been inconsistent, and frankly, flawed throughout his first year with Big Blue. How is the Mara family allowing this to happen? What’s next for the Giants? Nobody, and I mean nobody, seems to know.
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