Not too many people expected the New York Giants to have the sort of offseason they’ve had to date — an offseason that officially comes to an end next week when training camp gets underway.
In addition to the selection of quarterback Daniel Jones in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Giants also waved goodbye to two of their best players in recent years: wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and safety Landon Collins.
Former Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who was a teammate of both Beckham and Collins, isn’t quite sure if he agreed with the decision to part ways with both players — moves he feels the team made in order to establish a new identity.
“They are trying to establish their own identity and their own culture,” Casillas told NJ Advance Media. “That’s the whole reason they got rid of Odell. Odell is a culture in itself.
“I don’t know if they are making the best business decisions for the team. To get nothing for Landon, that’s tough. Washington paid him the most money a safety has ever been paid. I’m pretty sure the Giants could’ve made something off of that. But I’m neither here or there now. Hindsight is always 20/20.”
Ever since the Giants went 11-5 and made the playoffs in 2016, they’ve been on a downward spiral, going 3-13 in 2017 and 5-11 in 2018, thus leading to Dave Gettleman making drastic changes, one of which was the trade of Beckham to the Cleveland Browns back in March.
Was it the right move in this search for a new identity for the Giants? That remains to be seen.
