With the exception of a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants have otherwise been relatively quiet in free agency.
While general manager Dave Gettleman has re-signed a few of his own in-house free agents, little has been done outside the addition of veteran safety Antoine Bethea. However, that’s not for lack of effort.
The Giants have been in on a few players, namely linebacker Deone Bucannon and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, but have been rebuffed.
In fact, both Bucannon and Dorsett deliberately passed on joining the Giants, choosing instead to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots, respectively.
Losing out on a pair of free agents isn’t exactly unique when it’s essentially a 32-team race, but there’s a belief around the league that the Giants have lost a bit of their luster. That, of course, was only compounded when they traded away one of the league’s best players in Odell Beckham Jr. on the heels of allowing a defensive captain, Landon Collins, to walk out the door effortlessly.
It’s gotten so ugly that one former NFL player recently told the New York Daily News that if he were a free agent, he would not sign with the Giants.
“If I were a free agent, I wouldn’t go there,” the ex-player said.
Whether it’s just or not, the Giants currently have an image problem and it’s clearly impacting their ability to lure in some free agents.
