Giants owner John Mara says team is ‘not making any changes,’ asking fans to be patient

The New York Giants have a rich history of tradition and success with eight NFL titles, including four Super Bowl victories.

However, the franchise has been stuck in the mud in terms of on-field success for over a decade. Since 2012, the year after their latest Super Bowl title in 2011, New York has a 78-123-1 record, the fourth-worst in the NFL in that span ahead of only the Browns (71-130-1), Jets (71-131) and Jaguars (62-140). The Giants did win two Super Bowls in a five-season span from 2007 to 2011, but if one were to ask any fan of the team, that was a lifetime ago. New York has failed to make consecutive postseason trips for over a decade with their last run of back-to-back playoff appearances coming when they made four in a row from 2005 to 2008. 

Just looking at the last four years, the G-Men are off to a 2-5 start for the second year in a row in 2024 and for the third time in four seasons. Their 9-7-1 run in the 2022 campaign in which the team reached the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs in head coach Brian Daboll’s first season is starting to look like an outlier. That will likely be the case as long as Daniel Jones remains the starting quarterback since New York is 3-10 in his last 13 starts. He has also been sacked 21 times this season, which is the second most of any quarterback behind only injured Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 33. Jones’ 80.6 passer rating this season is the seventh-worst in the NFL.

Yet, team owner John Mara is asking fans for patience. He is likely referring to Jones, about midway through the second season of a four-year, $160 million contract extension. New York can release Jones in the 2025 offseason prior to June 1 and save $19.4 million in cap space while incurring a $22.2 million dead cap hit. Currently, the Giants rank 30th in scoring offense (14.1 points per game) in 2024. 

“We are not making any changes,” Mara said, via ESPN, on Wednesday night after viewing “The Duke: Wellington Mara’s Giant Life” airing on NFL Network on Friday.. He also felt the team hasn’t been patient enough in past years as he remains committed to head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. 

The pass rush and 2024 sixth overall pick wide receiver Malik Nabers remain lone bright spots this season. New York leads the NFL with 31 sacks on defense, and Nabers’ 39 catches in his first five games are the second-most in NFL history behind Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s 46 in 2023. All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has taken his play to new heights while playing alongside Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns, a 2024 offseason acquisition. Lawrence leads the NFL with nine sacks and is on pace for career-highs in tackles for loss and quarterback hits. Burns has three consecutive games with a sack, five consecutive games with a quarterback hit and five consecutive games with a tackle for loss. 

New York is set to face the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers on “Monday Night Football” in Week 8, which is a problem since Jones is 1-14 in prime time starts in his career, the worst by a starting quarterback since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, minimum 10 starts. He has a streak of seven consecutive primetime games without a touchdown. Many Giants fans will likely spend their Monday night exasperated when thinking of Mara’s call for patience.