New York Giants Paying to Win
By Dan Salem
Money was made for spending and the New York Giants spent big in NFL Free Agency, adding three huge talents to their defense and the payroll. Win-now mode is in full effect.
We’re tackling each team in the league, traveling alphabetically to debate their biggest offseason issues. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
Do you think the New York Giants’ massive spending spree to kick off NFL free agency was a smart move? They paid close to $200 million for three players: Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins. All three fill a massive hole on this team’s defense, but it seems as though the same holes could have been filled by similar players for much smaller contracts.
The Giants have fallen victim to this type of spending for a couple years in a row now, though 2016 was the most high-profile example. They previously overpaid for bit-part players, paying them like they were guaranteed starters. J.T. Thomas, Dwayne Harris and Shane Vereen come to mind. I like these players, and they may have roles on New York for years to come, but the contracts attached to them didn’t fit those roles.
Now the same may go for these 2016 additions, but on a much larger scale. Is this bad business or simply the cost of doing business through free agency? We know the great teams are often patient through free agency and find bargains (Patriots, Packers), but that is mostly because they are starting from a position of power in which they do not need to add the best talent. The Giants were in no such position. Their defense was absolutely atrocious and had massive holes that needed to be filled by players who were essentially guaranteed to have an impact. That costs money.
Unfortunately, holes still remain. NY needs a free safety, perhaps multiple linebackers and probably another piece on the defensive line, not to mention players on offense. Maybe spending $200 million on three (or four, if you throw in Jason Pierre-Paul) is not intelligent when there are so many needs remaining. Or maybe it was smart to pin down those four roster spots and fill in the rest later. I’m not sure which is the better method.
DAN:
The answer regarding massive free agency spending comes down to a team’s current road forward, its quarterback. The Giants have an excellent QB in his prime with Eli Manning and are playing to win now, not later. Some teams would be foolish to drop big money on only a few building block players, but New York was not.
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The Giants have stars on offense, ones to build around in the draft. What the team lacked were its defensive stars, the players that complete a unit, lead it and compliment an offense with weapons. Vernon, Harrison and Jenkins bring that power to one of the weakest parts of the Giants last season. Even if this group’s overall success lasts only a single season, it can change the direction of the team and make it a destination for players next off season and the one after that.
In general, its not a good idea to spend all of your money in one place, or in the case of the Giants, three places. But sitting on your money is just as bad of an idea when your team is in win-now mode.
The New York Jets spent their money last off season, changing the direction of the team and adding difference makers that resulted in a winning season and a bright future. They are greatly handicapped this current off season, but have fewer holes which feel much smaller because of the money spent before. Overall it was a good idea to spend, not save. The Giants have now done something similar.
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The G-men spent their money and I’m a fan of the players they are paying. A team is not likely to fill every hole this early in the off season. Free Agency fills some. The NFL Draft will fill others. Then camps open and the remainder of the holes get addressed. The NFC East is completely up in the air right now and no team scares me. Yet the Giants are starting to, as their defense has completely turned a corner already.