It remains unclear if the Giants will fire general manager Dave Gettleman.
But if they do, they’ll have some competition as they seek a new GM.
Five NFL teams have already fired a GM this season — Falcons, Texans, Lions, Jaguars, and Panthers. Washington went this season without a GM, after firing Bruce Allen last year.
So let’s take a look at how a potential Giants opening would compare to those vacancies, by assessing four key areas — salary cap space, 2021 NFL Draft capital, quarterback situation, and head coach situation.
SALARY CAP SPACE
This is based on overthecap.com’s $176 million cap projection for 2021.
Jaguars: $77.6 million (first in NFL)
Washington: $48.2 million (fifth)
Panthers: $16.9 million (17th)
Giants: $16.8 million (18th)
Lions: $12.1 million (19th)
Texans: minus-$10.1 million (25th)
Falcons: minus-$24.3 million (30th)
2021 NFL DRAFT CAPITAL
This is based on Tankathon’s draft power rankings, as they currently stand.
Jaguars: 5,226.6 value points (first in NFL) — picking first in Round 1
Panthers: 2,729.4 value points (fifth) — picking fourth in Round 1
Falcons: 2,641.0 value points (6th) — picking fifth in Round 1
Giants: 2,138.4 value points (10th) — picking 10th in Round 1
Lions: 2,076.5 value points (11th) — picking 11th in Round 1
Washington: 1,771.4 value points (14th) — picking 19th in Round 1
Texans: 515.9 value points (30th) — first pick not until 68th overall (Round 3)
QUARTERBACK SITUATION
We’re ranking these quarterback situations from best to worst.
Texans: Deshaun Watson is a fantastic player, and he’s under contract through 2025. He currently ranks third in the NFL in quarterback rating, behind Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. The Texans have a lot of issues. Watson isn’t one of them.
Jaguars: They’re on track to draft Trevor Lawrence first overall, now that the Jets have won. He’s an elite prospect, but nobody really knows if he will deliver in the NFL. Still, the No. 1 pick — and the chance to get Lawrence — makes this GM job quite attractive.
Lions: Matt Stafford hasn’t declined in a major way, but he’ll be 33 when next season opens. The Lions can easily cut him after 2021. And they can perhaps cut him after 2020, but it won’t be as easy — $19 million dead money, $14 million cap savings.
Panthers: Teddy Bridgewater probably isn’t the long-term answer, but he’ll be back in 2021, because of his contract structure. And he’ll have a $23 million cap hit. After that, he can be cut with ease.
Falcons: Matt Ryan is still a capable starter, but he’ll be 36 years old when next season starts. And because of his contract, the Falcons probably can’t cut him until after the 2022 season. The new GM needs to think about the future at quarterback. But that’ll be hard to do right now.
Giants: Gettleman’s potential replacement would have to determine if Daniel Jones is the answer. The jury is still out on that. Next season is Jones’ third — and it’s a big one for him.
Washington: Dwayne Haskins is a bust, and Alex Smith isn’t the solution. Washington needs a fresh start at quarterback. But its draft position in 2021 might not allow for that to happen immediately.
HEAD COACH SITUATION
Same thing here. Ranked from best to worst — in terms of appeal for the new GM.
Falcons: Coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff were both canned, so there’s a clean slate in Atlanta, where Arthur Blank is a well-regarded owner.
Jaguars: Doug Marrone is going to be fired, so it’s a fresh start in Jacksonville, too. But the Jaguars’ ownership hasn’t exactly been competent over the years.
Lions: Matt Patricia was an absolute mess, so the Lions’ new GM will be starting at the same time as their new coach. Ditto on the ownership issues here.
Texans: Houston fired Bill O’Brien, who doubled as GM and head coach. But Texans ownership is dysfunctional, so don’t put it past Cal McNair to force the new GM into an arranged marriage with a head coach — not ideal. McNair has stunk as an owner.
Giants: Joe Judge will return for Year 2 in 2021. He has shown potential this season, but it would be insane to say right now that he’s definitely going to be a great head coach.
Panthers: Matt Rhule was just hired before the 2020 season, and he’s going to have significant say in the GM hire — not vice versa. Rhule is far from a proven NFL coach.
Washington: Ron Rivera debuted with Washington in 2020, and he has a lot of say in the organization. Washington could target a GM who has previously worked with Rivera — like Marty Hurney, whom Carolina just canned. Also, owner Daniel Snyder is terrible.
FINAL ANALYSIS
If we’re just going by points (seven points for first place in each area, and so on) here’s how things look …
Jaguars: 26
Panthers: 17
Lions: 16
Falcons: 16
Texans: 14
Giants: 13
Washington: 10
Look, this isn’t wholly scientific.
But all things considered, it feels right that the Jaguars are No. 1, even though their ownership hasn’t been superb. The chance to get Lawrence is huge for a new GM. Plus, lots of cap space.
The Giants have stable, proven ownership, so they maybe deserve to be ahead of the Texans, though the Watson factor looms large. Washington’s ownership is a fiasco, of course. And Washington has no answers right now at quarterback. Awful organization, all around.
Ultimately, cap space and draft capital matter a ton for a new GM, in terms of a job’s appeal — and the Texans lag in both areas.
Because of those two factors, it makes sense that the Panthers would be so high on this final list, even though the GM will be forced to work with Rhule, and will have to sort out the quarterback situation eventually.
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