Antrel Rolle Offers Refreshingly Honest Take Behind NY Giants’ Recent Struggles

In Gettleman’s case, he traded away edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul to gain cap relief in 2018, sending the team’s 2010 first-round pick to the Bucs. Pierre-Paul spent four seasons in Tampa, recording 33.0 sacks, including 12.5 in his first season (2018), despite playing with a permanently disfigured hand resulting from an offseason fireworks accident.

The Giants then took the free agency route to try to replace the homegrown talent they had sent away. They only started to recover from that once they brought in Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2022 and, more recently, Abdul Carter in this past year’s draft.

Gettleman also cut guard Kevin Zeitler, who was one of the team’s most consistent performers, for salary cap reasons. Zeitler was picked up by the Ravens and continued his stellar play, earning a Pro Bowl berth in 2023, his final season in Baltimore.

There was also the trade of receiver Odell Beckham Jr to Cleveland. Beckham, who admittedly created far too many waves off the field with some of his choices, was never truly replaced talent-wise in the Giants offense until the team drafted Malik Nabers last year. 

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Schoen hasn’t been immune to making miscalculations with the personnel either. Besides Barkley, he traded away defensive lineman Leonard Williams to Seattle midway through the 2023 season. 

Williams showed that he still has a lot left in the tank, having posted 15 sacks in three seasons and earning his second Pro Bowl berth (and first since his time with the Jets), as well as an All-Pro First Team nod last season.

The Giants, meanwhile, struggled to replace Williams, trying to do so with youth before finally going on a spending spree this past offseason to add more veteran depth.

Besides letting Barkley walk out the door, others who have left the Giants in free agency have included safeties Julian Love (Seattle) and Xavier McKinney (Green Bay). 

Love made the Pro Bowl in 2023, his first season with the Seahawks. McKinney also made his first Pro Bowl last season, his first with the Packers. He was also named a first-team All-Pro and finished second last season in the interception category with eight, one behind league leader Kerby Joseph of the Lions.

Given the missteps made in the past, Rolle agreed that the Giants, who remain under Schoen’s direction, have started to address the decisions made earlier, which contributed to their decline as a franchise.  

“They are trying to get back in the right direction,” Rolle said. “They drafted the stud they drafted this year (outside linebacker Abdul Carter). He’s going to be a helluva player. That goes without saying. 

“You have (receiver Malik) Nabers, who’s been playing out of his mind. (Quarterback) Russell Wilson can distribute the ball. How good will Russ be? That’s to be determined. But we haven’t seen a huge decline in Russell Wilson.”

That being said, Rolle opined that there is still more work to be done.

“I feel like Nabers needs more help, and you can use more help in the backfield. Those will be the key focal points to turn the organization back around.”