It is not yet clear whether the Giants will fire general manager Dave Gettleman.
But if they do, they will have some competition when looking for a new GM.
Five NFL teams have already fired a GM this season – Falcons, Texans, Lions, Jaguars and Panthers. Washington spent this season without GM after firing Bruce Allen last year.
So, let’s take a look at how a possible Giants spot compares to those spots, evaluating four main areas – wage cap space, NFL 2021 Draft capital, quarterback situation and head coach situation.
SALARY CAP SPACE
This is based on overthecap.com’s projected $ 176 million cap for 2021.
Jaguars: $ 77.6 million (first in the NFL)
Washington: $ 48.2 million (fifth)
Panthers: $ 16.9 million (17th)
Giants: $ 16.8 million (18th)
Lions: $ 12.1 million (19th)
Texans: less $ 10.1 million (25th)
Hawks: less- $ 24.3 million (30th)
2021 NFL DRAFT CAPITAL
This is based on Tankathon draft power ratings, as they currently stand.
Jaguars: 5,226.6 value points (first in the NFL) – choosing first in round 1
Panthers: 2,729.4 value points (fifth) – choosing fourth in round 1
Hawks: 2,641.0 points of value (6th) – choosing fifth place in Round 1
Giants: 2,138.4 points of value (10th) – choosing the 10th in the 1st round
Lions: 2,076.5 points of value (11th) – choosing 11th in round 1
Washington: 1,771.4 points of value (14th) – choosing 19th in round 1
Texans: 515.9 value points (30th) – first choice not until the 68th overall (Round 3)
QUARTERBACK SITUATION
We are classifying these quarterback situations from best to worst.
Texans: Deshaun Watson is a fantastic player and he is under contract until 2025. He currently ranks third in the NFL as a defender, behind Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. Texans have many problems. Watson is not one of them.
Jaguars: They are on their way to choose Trevor Lawrence first overall, now that the Jets have won. He’s an elite prospect, but nobody really knows if he’s going to deliver in the NFL. Still, choice # 1 – and the chance to get Lawrence – makes GM’s job very attractive.
Lions: Matt Stafford hasn’t slowed down much, but will turn 33 next season. Lions can cut it easily after 2021. And maybe they can cut it after 2020, but it won’t be that easy – $ 19 million in dead money, savings of $ 14 million.
Panthers: Teddy Bridgewater is probably not the long-term answer, but he will be back in 2021, because of his contract structure. And he will have a maximum limit of $ 23 million. After that, it can be cut easily.
Hawks: Matt Ryan is still a competent starter, but he will be 36 when the next season begins. And because of his contract, the Falcons are unlikely to cut him until after the 2022 season. The new GM needs to think about the future as a defender. But this is going to be difficult to do now.
Giants: The potential replacement for Gettleman would have to determine whether Daniel Jones is the answer. The jury is still out of this. The next season is Jones’ third – and it’s a big one for him.
Washington: Dwayne Haskins is a failure and Alex Smith is not the solution. Washington needs a new start as a defender. But his 2021 draft position may not allow this to happen immediately.
SITUATION OF THE HEAD COACH
Same thing here. Rated from best to worst – in terms of appeal to the new GM.
Hawks: Coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff were both fired, so there’s a clean slate in Atlanta, where Arthur Blank is a well-known owner.
Jaguars: Doug Marrone is going to be fired, so it’s a fresh start in Jacksonville too. But Jaguars’ ownership has not been exactly competent over the years.
Lions: Matt Patricia was an absolute mess, so the new Lions GM will start at the same time as his new trainer. Ditto on property issues here.
Texans: Houston fired Bill O’Brien, who was also general manager and head coach. But Texan ownership is dysfunctional, so don’t let Cal McNair force the new GM into an arranged marriage with a head coach – it’s not ideal. McNair sucks 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 now that he will definitely be a great head coach.
Panthers: Matt Rhule has just been hired before the 2020 season and will have a significant word in hiring GM – not vice versa. Rhule is far from a proven NFL coach.
Washington: Ron Rivera debuted with Washington in 2020 and has a lot to say about the organization. Washington could target a GM who has worked with Rivera – like Marty Hurney, who Carolina just fired. In addition, owner Daniel Snyder is terrible.
FINAL ANALISES
If we go for points only (seven points for first place in each area and so on), this is how things look …
Jaguars: 26
Panthers: 17
Lions: 16
Hawks: 16
Texans: 14
Giants: 13
Washington: 10
Look, this is not entirely scientific.
But all things considered, it seems certain that Jaguars are number 1, although their ownership is not excellent. The chance of getting Lawrence is huge for a new GM. In addition, a lot of limit space.
The Giants have proven and stable ownership, so maybe they deserve to be ahead of the Texans, although the Watson factor is big. Washington’s property is a fiasco, of course. And Washington has no answers now in the quarterback. Horrible organization, everywhere.
Ultimately, space limits and cash flow are very important for a new GM, in terms of a job call – and Texans lag behind in both areas.
Because of these two factors, it makes sense that the Panthers were at the top of this final list, although the GM will be forced to work with Rhule and will eventually have to resolve the quarterback’s situation.
Receive text messages from Giants: Eliminate social media and text clutter directly with traditional copywriters. In addition, exclusive news and analysis. Sign up now for a free trial.
Thank you for trusting us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a signature.
Darryl Slater can be reached at [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip on here.