Through Week 13, the New York Giants are first in the 2025 NFL Draft pecking order. Their season, to put it succinctly, has been rough. Head coach Brian Daboll’s team is 2-10. They cut quarterback Daniel Jones, whom they gave a four-year, $160 million contract in 2023, just 27 games into his extension. They’ve also lost seven straight contests heading into Week 14.
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The Giants’ struggles have come as former running back Saquon Barkley is posting a career-best season for the rival Philadelphia Eagles. People already questioned why New York chose Jones over Barkley back in 2023. Now that Barkley has played at an MVP level after escaping the Big Apple, criticism is flying in at the Giants from every direction.
Quarterback Cam Newton is among the many voices chastising New York. His bashing stems from the Giants’ decision-making regarding Barkley and treatment of rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers. Newton also uttered harsh words about the Carolina Panthers while discussing New York’s shortcomings on his 4th&1 podcast.
“I do not like how shitty franchises treat star players. That tells you everything you need to know about a franchise. The only person that [the Giants] did right was Eli Manning… from day one, they did right by Eli Manning. Did they do right by Odell [Beckham Jr.]? No. Did they do right by Saquon?… same thing [with] Carolina. You get rid of Christian McCaffrey? You don’t think that guy can play?”
Newton then mentioned how two of the league’s more successful organizations handled their superstar players. Needless to say, it was drastically different than the fashion the Giants and Panthers went about things.
Cam Newton shouts out the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots are tied for the most Super Bowl victories (6) of any NFL franchise. They know how to properly build championship-winning teams. The presence of Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady helped immensely, of course, but it still takes all 53 players coming together to claim a Lombardi Trophy.
Were the Steelers and Patriots perfect? Of course not. But their ability to retain stars and foster a positive culture is a big reason why they’ve captured so many titles. Carolina and New York, by and large, have not followed in their footsteps. Newton followed his assessment of the Panthers and Giants with praise for Pittsburgh and New England.
“Look what the Pittsburgh Steelers did to Ben Roethlisberger. Look what the New England Patriots did to Tom Brady… everybody don’t have the resume of [those two], but you still have franchise guys. Look what the Arizona Cardinals did to Larry Fitzgerald… there’s a code of ethics.”
Newton went on to call the Giants “a sh*tshow.” New York isn’t alone in not paying their superstar running back in recent years, but the decision to open the checkbook for Jones instead of Barkley will always be criticized. Their front office’s competency will be questioned even more heavily if Philly wins Super Bowl LIX and/or they fail to find their franchise quarterback in this year’s draft.
The Giants’ next opportunity to get back in the win column comes versus the New Orleans Saints in Week 14.
