NFL Analyst Says New York Giants Should Consider Flopping in 2024

The idea of ​​“tanking” in the NFL is absurd. Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in 53 players and an entire coaching staff, all designed to lead multi-billion dollar organizations to the precipice of the football world.

NFL players are also wired differently. They are some of the most competitive human beings on the planet, and the idea of ​​putting that instinctive nature on the shelf is doomed to failure.

In the last two decades, only one NFL team has deliberately “flopped” a single game, and that was the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 of the 2020 regular season. It was an extremely rare sighting, like seeing Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.

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Despite the rarity of tanking and its near impossibility among players, that’s exactly what Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks the New York Giants should do during the 2024 season.

Whether the Giants can afford to sink in 2024 likely depends on whether owner John Mara can grant Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen some leniency on Daniel Jones’ contract.

Schoen offered Jones a four-year, $160 million contract last offseason, while negotiations with Saquon Barkley stalled and resulted in a one-year deal. Fast forward to 2024 and Jones’ status as a franchise quarterback is still in question. Barkley is now with the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles not only added Barkley, but also Bryce Huff on defense and two new coordinators who could fix their issues from last season. The Cowboys still have plenty of talent even if it feels like everyone is in a contract year. The Commanders have an interesting answer at quarterback and a new head coach.

The Giants have been struggling since 2012. Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have no patience for losing, evidenced by the massive change in head coaches since 2016. There is absolutely zero percent chance they will be willing to burn through their money for no reason in 2024, allowing the franchise’s embarrassment to grow further over the next 365 days.

But Ballentine continues.

There’s plenty to be excited about for the Giants. Malik Nabers gives them their most receiver potential since Odell Beckham Jr. and the defensive line added a huge missing piece in Brian Burns.

But it appears this offense is still a long way from providing the Giants with a title contender. If Mara can be patient, moves that would make the team more competitive with a potential first-round quarterback might be the best path forward.

And how do you sell that to players? The lifespan of an NFL team is short, and every player on the roster is forced to compete for their next big contract. Giving up a full season is not something any of them would accept.

All of this doesn’t even take into account the jobs that would be lost or the assistants who would want to leave. Failure would certainly not look good on their resumes and could, potentially, end their careers, even if Mara and Tisch were somehow drugged and convinced to sign.

So no. The New York Giants will not collapse in 2024. It won’t even be a consideration. And it shouldn’t be.