Learn From the Past: Every Major Giants Mistake Since 2017
On December 1st, as the New York Giants prepared to face the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, a viral tweet lit up social media: “Abdul Carter will miss the first drive tonight for disciplinary reasons after getting caught watching porn in a team meeting when his headphones disconnected.” The tweet, though false, captured the absurdity of the Giants’ current state—a team so mired in dysfunction that even wild rumors seem plausible.
The Giants have become a punchline, a once-proud franchise now synonymous with chaos, missed opportunities, and questionable decisions. Since 2017, they’ve amassed a record of 42-104-1, cycling through coaches, quarterbacks, and philosophies with little to show for it but frustration and fleeting moments of hope. How did the Giants fall so far, and is there any way out of the Kafkaesque loop they now inhabit?
This article unpacks the Giants’ decade of decline, the mistakes that fueled it, and the glimmers of hope that remain for a franchise desperate to reclaim its place among the NFL elite.
The Boat Curse and the Loss of Identity
The Giants’ current malaise can be traced back to a single, infamous photograph: Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Sterling Shepard, and Roger Lewis on a Miami yacht, days before a playoff game in Green Bay. The “boat picture” became a symbol of misplaced priorities and a harbinger of the team’s collapse. The Giants lost by 25 points to the Packers, and the franchise has never truly recovered.
Once celebrated for their gritty upsets of the Patriots in two Super Bowls, the Giants have since become the NFL’s booger-pick celebration—a team so lost that even their missteps seem almost comedic. The boat curse, whether real or imagined, marked the beginning of a spiral that has only deepened in the years since.
The Coaching Carousel: Searching for Stability
After moving on from legendary head coach Tom Coughlin, the Giants opted for continuity with Ben McAdoo, an internal hire who had found success as Eli Manning’s offensive coordinator. McAdoo’s first season brought a playoff berth, but the team flamed out in Green Bay, and the wheels quickly came off. McAdoo’s decision to bench Eli Manning for Geno Smith, ending Manning’s Iron Man streak, was a PR disaster and a blow to locker room morale.
The years that followed saw a parade of head coaches—Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, and Brian Daboll—each bringing their own philosophies but failing to deliver sustained success. Shurmur’s tenure was marked by blown leads and a 9-23 record. Judge, plucked from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, famously called a quarterback sneak on third-and-nine, a play that epitomized the team’s lack of confidence and creativity. Daboll, hailed as a miracle worker for transforming Josh Allen in Buffalo, won Coach of the Year in 2022 but quickly saw his honeymoon end amid red zone struggles and defensive collapses.
The Giants’ inability to find and stick with a visionary leader has been a major contributor to their woes. Each new coach brought hope, only to leave fans disappointed and longing for the stability of the Coughlin era.
Draft Disasters and Roster Mismanagement
If coaching instability was one pillar of the Giants’ decline, poor drafting and roster mismanagement were the others. The 2018 draft, in particular, stands out as a turning point. With the second overall pick, the Giants selected Saquon Barkley—a generational talent at running back, but a luxury for a team in need of foundational pieces. Passing on quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Sam Darnold, the Giants convinced themselves they could win immediately with an aging Eli Manning and a rookie running back.
The consequences of that decision rippled through subsequent drafts. The Giants missed on offensive linemen—Chad Wheeler, Eric Flowers, Matt Peart, Shane Lemieux, and Evan Neal—none of whom developed into reliable starters. The selection of Daniel Jones at sixth overall in 2019 was widely panned; Jones flashed mobility and toughness but struggled with turnovers and injuries. Rather than pivoting after middling seasons, the Giants doubled down, rewarding Jones with a $160 million contract after a single playoff win. Within two seasons, Jones was released, and the team received nothing in return.
Other draft missteps included trading up for DeAndre Baker, who was waived after off-field legal troubles; selecting Kadarius Toney, who became a Super Bowl hero for Kansas City but a headache in New York; and passing on impact players like Micah Parsons and Rashawn Slater in favor of gadget pieces and role players.
Free agency was no kinder. The Giants handed out bloated contracts to Nate Solder and Alec Ogletree, traded for Leonard Williams in the middle of a losing season, and signed aging veterans like Jonathan Stewart, Russell Wilson, and Jameis Winston. Each move seemed to lack a coherent vision, compounding the team’s issues and tying up precious cap space.
The Revolving Door at Quarterback
The Giants’ quarterback saga is emblematic of their broader dysfunction. After Eli Manning’s decline, the team cycled through a host of signal-callers—Colt McCoy, Mike Glennon, Jake Fromm, Tyrod Taylor, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito (aka Tommy Cutlets). Each brought brief flashes of hope, only to be undone by injury, inconsistency, or the limits of their talent.
Daniel Jones, the chosen heir, struggled to stay healthy, missing 22 games due to injury. His mobility and toughness were never enough to overcome a porous offensive line and a lack of weapons. The decision to pay Jones after one playoff win was a gamble that quickly backfired, leaving the Giants with a massive cap hit and no clear path forward.
Recent drafts have brought Jackson Dart, an electric quarterback who has shown promise but suffered multiple concussions behind a patchwork offensive line. The hope is that Dart, along with Abdul Carter, Cam Scataboo, and Malik Neighbors, can form the nucleus of a new era—but only if the team can finally address its protection issues and build around its young talent.
The Curse of Letting Talent Walk
Perhaps the most painful aspect of the Giants’ recent history has been watching former players thrive elsewhere. Saquon Barkley, after years of frustration in New York, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and rushed for over 2,000 yards en route to a Super Bowl win. Leonard Williams became a force for the Seattle Seahawks. Xavier McKinney excelled in Green Bay. Even Darren Waller, acquired to be a difference maker at tight end, found new life with the Miami Dolphins after battling injuries in New York.
The Giants’ inability to develop and retain talent has been a recurring theme. Every time a player leaves, they seem to flourish, adding to the sense that the franchise is stuck in a loop of mistakes and missed opportunities.
Ownership and Organizational Paralysis
At the heart of the Giants’ dysfunction lies a slow-moving, risk-averse ownership group. The Mara family, stewards of the franchise’s legacy, have often opted for incremental change rather than bold action. The decision-making structure has led to a revolving cast of coaches, inconsistent team-building philosophies, and a reluctance to fully embrace a rebuild.
The Giants’ participation in the 2024 offseason edition of Hard Knocks, chronicling free agency and the draft, offered a rare glimpse into the organization’s inner workings. The Squon Barkley decision played out on camera, revealing a process marked by uncertainty and second-guessing. The lack of a clear plan has hampered the team’s ability to compete in a league where vision and adaptability are paramount.
The Kafkaesque Loop: Mistakes, Missed Opportunities, and the Search for Answers
The Giants’ decade of decline is not just a story of bad luck—it’s a tale of repeated mistakes, missed opportunities, and an inability to break the cycle. They’ve passed on elite quarterbacks, drafted poorly at premium positions, overpaid players who didn’t fit, and cycled through head coaches without a long-term blueprint.
Every time the team had a chance to wipe the slate clean, they chose to hold on to the past just a little longer. The result has been years of mediocrity, frustration, and a fan base desperate for change.
The Giants are not just stuck in a rut—they are living inside their own loop, making the same mistakes and wondering why nothing changes. Until they break that loop, they’ll keep finding new ways to lose games, waste seasons, and extend a cycle that has trapped fans for far too long.
Glimmers of Hope: The Foundation for the Future
Despite the litany of errors, there are reasons for optimism. Jackson Dart, Abdul Carter, Cam Scataboo, and Malik Neighbors represent a promising young core. If the Giants can finally address their offensive line woes, find the right head coach, and commit to a coherent vision, there is a path forward.
The next head coaching hire will be one of the most significant decisions in franchise history. The Giants need their own Ben Johnson or Sean Payton—a leader who can inspire, innovate, and build around their young talent. They must resist the urge to react and instead plan for the future, embracing the pain of starting over if necessary.
Other franchises have shown the way. The Broncos paired Sean Payton with Bo Nix and found stability. The Bears brought in Ben Johnson and turned the corner. The Giants must learn from these examples and finally break the Kafkaesque cycle that has defined their recent history.
Conclusion: Breaking the Loop
The New York Giants have spent nearly a decade reacting instead of planning, trapped in a cycle of mistakes and missed opportunities. Their story is one of dysfunction, but also of hope—a reminder that even the most perplexing franchise can find a way forward.
As the Giants prepare for another offseason of change, the challenge is clear: break the loop, learn from the past, and build a foundation for sustained success. The fans deserve better. The franchise deserves better. And if the Giants can finally get it right, they may yet reclaim their place among the NFL elite.
Thanks for reading. Here’s hoping the Giants figure it out, protect their young quarterback, and rediscover the magic that once made them champions.
