Both the New York Giants and New York Jets have suffered in recent years, and New York area fans have suffered, too, as a result. Do either the Giants or the Jets have a brighter future?
To recap the early offseason for both postseason-barren New York (New Jersey) franchises, the Giants (4-12 in 2019) fired head coach Pat Shurmur and replaced him with New England Patriots wide receivers and special teams coach Joe Judge.
The G-Men also hired former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett to be their offensive coordinator after his falling out with the NFC East division rival.
The Jets (7-9) have, so far, retained first-year head coach Adam Gase following a dismal start of the season forgotten by a promising 6-2 finish in the second half of the year.
There has certainly been less offseason turnover than their MetLife Stadium co-tenant Giants, and general manager Joe Douglas will get a chance to have an entire free agency and draft cycle in charge of the team's decision-making after he joined the AFC East club in June 2019 after the team had hired Gase and already drafted two months prior.
The Giants' main points of contention for the brighter future are emerging stars on offense in rising sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones, the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, and star running back Saquon Barkley, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year. Barkley's second season in 2019 was seriously hampered due to a high ankle sprain yet he still rushed for over 1,000 yards and caught 438 receiving yards in 13 games.
The Jets have rising junior gunslinger Sam Darnold, who was afflicted with mononucleosis in the fall and only played 13 games, going 7-6 in his starts compared to 4-9 on an overall worse Gang Green squad during his rookie year.
The AFC club also has Jamal Adams on defense, already a two-time Pro-Bowler and first-team All-Pro safety through three seasons.
Decision: Giants (slight edge)
Obviously two players per squad don't make up an entire team—there are countless other impact players and key decisions by the coaching staff and respective front offices that make up this decision.
That being said, there is more confidence placed in the Giants, who are always hiding slight turbulence under the surface while the Jets' dirty laundry seems to air out in public more times than naught.
Nevertheless, while the Jets are sure to have a very competent defense in the future, they are still ways away on offense, which was supposed to be Gase's raison d'etre.
The Giants, however, are prime to have another successful year on the offensive side of the ball with Jones and Barkley in the backfield and emerging receiving targets in Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram.
The Jets are still far away on offense, irrespective of Darnold's, a former third-overall pick, performance in the pocket and impact on the offense's ceiling.
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