2024 was the 100th year for NY Giants in the league. But things went south by the time it ended. A 3-14 season that saw everything that could have gone wrong go wrong. They trusted the quarterback, Daniel Jones, for 6 entire seasons. But this season, after week 10, he wanted out and John Mara didn’t hesitate. Now, ahead of the Super Bowl, ex-Giants star Saquon Barkley has given them a reality check.

On February 3, the running back was talking to the media when Jameis Winston appeared as a reporter. He asked for advice from the Eagles player, claiming he didn’t have any job after becoming a free agent. Barkley smiled and, taking a dig at his former team, said, “I think New York needs a quarterback right now.” The crowd erupted in laughter as Winston wished him luck for the big game.

Barkley was there for 6 years after they drafted him in the 1st round (2nd overall). But years later, in 2024, they asked him to prove his value in the open market, which felt like a slap in the face to the running back. He went ahead and secured a 3-year $37.75 million deal with the Eagles, and has run them up all the way to the Super Bowl on his first try. The owner, John Mara, accepted the failure to his GM Joe Schoen in the HBO documentary Hard Knocks. Mara told his GM, “I’m going to have a tough time sleeping if Saquon (Barkley) goes to Philadelphia.” That’s exactly what happened. And the Giants failed miserably. They had their worst season in 2024 after the RB left.

Amid rising failures season after season, they want to get a fresh set of players. That would be easy on their purse as well.

John Mara’s GM finds 2 top prospects for the draft

The NY Giants are silently preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft under Schoen. John Mara & co. are assessing their money and the options available. They will pick 3rd in the coming draft and have been advised to go for top QB prospect Cam Ward.

In 13 games for Miami in 2024, he recorded 305 of 454 passes (67.2% completion rate) for 4,313 passing yards with 39 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. That’s impressive for the young boy. But college football and the Pros are entirely different prospects. Just ask last season’s top pick, Caleb Williams. The NY Giants aren’t stopping there. They also aim to find someone who can boost their defense in the 2025 season.

Their second projected draft pick (34th overall) is the Georgia safety Malaki Starks. The 6″ 1″ 205-pound player has also shown great talent. But the ball lies in the Giants’ court now. Would they go for them? Can they turn around NY’s slumping fortunes or is it too much pressure to put on the shoulders of kids fresh outta college?