John Mara Reveals Why He Keeps Botching Trade Deadlines

The NFL owners' meeting took place this weekend meaning John Mara, Brian Daboll, and Joe Schoen all spoke to the media. There was plenty of information given however one quote from John Mara stands out the most.

"I hate trading guys right at the deadline because it almost signals that you are giving up on the season."

- John Mara

While Mara is right that selling off assets would signal to the fans that the season is over it's also just the wrong approach. Rather than getting assets for players you'll likely lose in the off-season the Giants have taken the approach of just losing them for nothing.

In recent memory, this trend started with Landon Collins who the Giants reportedly turned down multiple trade offers and instead let him walk in free agency. The same can be said about James Bradberry who the Giants didn't move in 2021 and later released the corner to address other needs. Xavier McKinney could have fetched the Giants a day two pick in this off-season however, he was also allowed to walk in Free Agency.

The biggest example of this where the Giants just passed up value year after year is Saquon Barkley. It was clear last off-season that Joe Schoen didn't view Barkley as a long term piece and with the Giants season in ruin this year the team could have easily moved Barkley. Instead, the Giants held onto Barkley winning meaningless games, tanking their draft pick, and to top it all off the team never offered Barkley a contract this off-season.

The Giants by holding onto these assets are passing up on significant assets just so Mara can fill the stadium in December. If the Giants operated properly and sold off their expiring contracts rather than focusing on appearances, they likely would be in a better spot where it would no longer need to be a concern.

Is a Meddling Mara the Reason for Some of the Giants' issues?

The major concern for the Giants is that general manager Joe Schoen isn't able to do his job fully because of Mara's influence. It was made clear how much Mara liked Daniel Jones while Schoen turned down his fifth year option meaning Mara may be the reason Jones got his massive deal. If Mara is telling his general managers not to sell at the deadline it's also going to cost the team long term. The best thing for the Giants would be allowing the front office to do its job rather than being influenced by the owner.

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