The Giants have made the playoffs once since winning Super Bowl XLVI and they’ve gone 18-46 over the last four seasons, so it was little surprise to hear co-owner John Mara say recently that he’s getting impatient for the team to put up better results.
That impatience played out in free agency. The team usually avoids contract restructures that push cap hits down the road, but they did several of them as they moved to sign wide receiver Kenny Golladay, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, and tight end Kyle Rudolph as free agents under a shrinking salary cap.
Defensive lineman Leonard Williams also re-signed on a long-term deal and assistant General Manager Kevin Abrams admitted on Tuesday that it was “uncommon” for the team to be so aggressive. Abrams suggested that 2022 could be a more difficult landscape to navigate as a result of the moves.
“I’m more optimistic that nothing that we’ve done last year or this year puts us in any kind of precarious position,” Abrams said, via the team’s website. “Next year could be a little bit of a challenge, we’ll see. It’s going to depend on science and state legislatures and fans in stands and a lot of other variables and we’ll see where it goes. I don’t think we’re in a bad spot cap-wise, but next year could be a little more challenging than probably the years after that.”
If the Giants can shake off the losing stench they’ve had for the last four years, it will make it a lot easier to stomach any bills that come due next offseason. If they can’t, it’s hard to believe the changes will be minor ones around the organization.