New York’s finest? Giants, Jets have racked up more than a decade of struggles

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

There was a ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes in New York back on Feb. 7, 2012. More than a million fans came out to worship their New York football heroes, to scream as they caught glimpses of the New York Giants and the Super Bowl XLVI trophy they brought home.

It was a magical day. It was the kind of sports celebration only New York can offer.

Who knew that would be the last good moment for New York football for more than a decade?

OK, to be fair, there have been other good moments in the nearly 13 years since. But for both the Giants and Jets, there really haven’t been that many. In the last 12.5 seasons, the combined record of the two New York teams is a disgusting 149-256-1, including 2-6 for each of them so far in 2024. That includes only four winning seasons by either team (three by the Giants), only two playoff berths (both by the Giants), and an astonishing 17 combined seasons of double-digit losses, with two more likely on the way.

It might be worse for the Jets who have spent the last 55 years only dreaming of a Super Bowl berth. They are well on their way to their 14th straight season of missing the playoffs, and they haven’t had a home playoff game since 2002 — eight years before their current stadium opened.

But the truth is, in this New York marathon of futility, the Giants are right on their battered heels. They’ve won just 78 of their 203 regular season games since the beginning of 2012 (a .387 winning percentage). The Jets, with a winning percentage of .350, have won just 71.

Yeah, there’s always next year, which has become a familiar refrain in New York. But is next year really going to be better for either team? Here’s a closer look at the states of these two organizations and whether there’s any hope for a New York football revival any time soon:

FRONT OFFICES

Giants: The Giants hired Joe Schoen three years ago and he’s not going anywhere, anytime soon. They have a long history of not changing general managers. They had just three from 1979-2017. And John Mara has said nothing upends an organization more than a GM change, which is part of why he waited as long to fire Dave Gettleman as he did.

The returns for Schoen are mixed. His drafts haven’t been great, but he did make a bold trade for edge rusher Brian Burns. And don’t forget he helped piece together a playoff team in his first season. His decision to pay quarterback Daniel Jones (four years, $160 million) instead of running back Saquon Barkley isn’t aging well, but Mara seems committed to letting him find a new QB and build this team his way for a few more years.

Joe Douglas: It’s important to remember that owner Woody Johnson was playing ambassador when Douglas was hired in 2019, because it sure seems like Johnson is about ready to clean house. Douglas already saw his hand-picked coach get fired. His strategy to go all-in on aging quarterback Aaron Rodgers has blown up in his face. And he’s got a dismal overall record of 29-62.

He’s done generally well in the draft, with huge hits like cornerback Sauce Gardner, receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall that offset disasters like quarterback Zach Wilson. And he’s never shied away from bold moves like trading for receiver Davante Adams or edge rusher Haason Reddick. Of course, the Reddick deal was a fiasco since Douglas didn’t sign him before making the trade, which certainly doesn’t help his case.

It’s always hard to forecast what Woody Johnson will do, but barring a late-season turnaround, Douglas seems pretty likely to finally pay for his record and mistakes.

HEAD COACHES

Giants: Mara has said Brian Daboll is safe — or, to be more exact, he said “I do not anticipate making any changes.” That’s not because of the job Daboll has done. After all, he’s just 17-24-1. It’s because Mara is embarrassed by the fact that he’s cycled through five coaches in the nine years since he pushed out Tom Coughlin. He craves stability, but he hasn’t had it in nearly a decade.

While the jury is out on Daboll as a head coach, he’s still a respected offensive mind and there is a feeling in the organization that he’s the right guy to groom the next quarterback — whomever that turns out to be. He’s also close to Schoen, so barring a disaster he’ll be back in 2025. He just might not get more than that.

Jets: They already fired Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start to the season and a 20-36 overall record. And former defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is still looking for his first win since then (0-3). If Ulbrich can somehow engineer a dramatic, second-half turnaround there’s certainly a chance he’ll get the job full-time. But most likely, they’ll be looking for someone else.

The big question really is who’ll pick the coach? Will Douglas get another shot? Will the Jets hire a new GM and let him pick the coach? Or will Woody Johnson do it on his own?

QUARTERBACKS

Giants: The Giants are contractually tied to Daniel Jones for another two seasons, but there is a big out for them this offseason if they want it. If they cut Jones, they’ll be stuck with only $22.2 million in dead money, which isn’t a lot in context, especially since they actually would clear $19.4 million off their books. And it sure looks like that’s where they’re headed.

Jones hasn’t been good this season, except in short spurts. It’s not all his fault, but that doesn’t really matter. Remember, the Giants were searching for his replacement last offseason when they tried to trade up in the draft for Drake Maye, who went to New England. They’ll surely look to the draft again in April. And don’t be shocked if they try to bring in a different veteran to be the rookie’s mentor in 2025, too.

Jets: Their marriage to Aaron Rodgers has left them in hell. He’s 40 years old, banged up, clearly a shell of his former self, and he’s still under contract for next season. They could cut him, but they’d eat $49 million in dead money and it would actually cost them $25.5 million in salary cap space. It’s a tough deal to get out of, which is why it wouldn’t be a shocker if they all decide to give it one more year together despite evidence that it’s a failed strategy.

Either way, it’s hard to see how they don’t take a quarterback in the first round of the draft. But they really can’t turn the team over to a rookie. They’ve got a team that’s built to win now, not three years from now. So if Rodgers retires, don’t be shocked if they dive into the free-agent market again where they might find Russell Wilson or their old friend, Sam Darnold.

PERSONNEL/SALARY CAP

Giants: One of the big things Joe Schoen has done in his tenure is restore the Giants’ cap health. He locked up some key players long-term (DT Dexter Lawrence, LT Andrew Thomas, DE Brian Burns), restocked the talent and got the franchise in position where it could have $50-70 million to spend in free agency in March, depending on what they do with Daniel Jones.

That could be huge, because while there is a decent base of talent, this team still has big holes at really important positions — most notably at cornerback and along the offensive line. Schoen has a spotty draft record so far, which is why those holes exist. But for the first time in a long time, they might have the ammunition to go and fill them. And they have no irreplaceable free agents of their own to deal with, so they can dive into the free-agent pool at will.

Jets: The shame of the Jets mess is they really do have a strong team. They’ve got a top-10 defense and some excellent, young skill players on offense. Almost all of them are under contract, too. The only key free agents the Jets have to deal with next March are safety D.J. Reed, left tackle Tyron Smith, and right tackle Morgan Moses. And OverTheCap.com projects them to have $80 million in cap space (assuming they cut receiver Davante Adams or at least re-do his deal). That’ll give them as much money to spend as anyone, though they could lose some of that space if they decide to part ways with Aaron Rodgers.

So they’re really in a strong position with a good base of talent, a likely high draft pick and lots of cap space to spend. If only they could find a quarterback.

OUTLOOK

Giants: The first year of the Schoen/Daboll regime looked so promising when they went 9-7-1 and even won a playoff game. It proved to be fools’ gold, though, and may have even fooled a few in the front office. The truth is they are closer to the beginning of their rebuilding project than they’d want to admit. The talent is much better than when they arrived, no doubt, and the cap health they created is important. But it’s looking more and more like they’re still missing the most important piece: The quarterback.

They are very likely going to draft one in April. Maybe they’ll hit on a Jayden Daniels-like sensation who is good right from the start. That’s just not always how it works with rookie quarterbacks. It often takes a few years for them to get good. So while that may be a good move for the long-term future, the short-term outlook isn’t great. It might be another step back in 2025 before they can start taking steps forward.

Jets: So much of their outlook depends on Woody Johnson’s whim — and to be fair, he’s really caught in a tough spot. There is a really good core in place. With the right quarterback and coach, they could be a playoff team, at least. So he could be tempted to run it back with Rodgers and maybe even his hand-picked offensive coordinator, Nathanial Hackett, too.

If he does that, it’s hard to imagine things will work out better than they have the last two years. But the other choice isn’t great either. If he starts over with a rookie quarterback, he better have a quick learning curve because the Jets have a lot of key players heading towards free agency, fifth-year options, or contract extensions in 2026.

In other words, the Jets have really difficult choices to make, and their window won’t be open much longer.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.