Giants 2021 Pressure Scale

With the fervor of the New York Giants offseason over, and a busy free agency and draft come and gone, Big Blue’s roster is by and large set. We now know, in all likelihood, the deck New York will have to play once the games start in September. The Giants have put together, at least on paper, the deepest and most talented squad they’ve had in years, and expectations within both the fanbase and the media are correspondingly high. A playoff berth, the franchise’s first since 2016, is no longer merely a far-fetched hope.

Raised expectations brings increased pressure for the Giants entire organization, but there are a select few G-Men on whom the majority of that pressure will fall. So, let’s count down the top five people who will have the most at stake in the 2021 Giants season.

5. WR Sterling Shepard

When on the field, Shepard has been young quarterback Daniel Jones‘ best friend. He’s led all Giants receivers in catch percentage over the last two seasons, and his ability to consistently create seperation in the short and intermediate levels makes him a go-to guy on third downs. The problem, however, is that he isn’t always on the field. Shepard has missed 10 combined games due to injury the last two years.

With Big Blue devoting enormous resources to the receiver position this offseason, he’s now more expendable than ever. His current contract extends through 2023, but the Giants can cut him after this year while eating just $4 million in dead cap for 2022. That could be an attractive option considering New York projects to have little cap space next offseason. If Shepard wants to remain in blue beyond this season, he’ll need to have a healthy and highly productive year. He needs to show Giants brass his presence on the roster is worth more than the cap relief they’d get by cutting or trading him.

4. S Jabrill Peppers

The Giants picked up Peppers fifth-year option, which means this year will be his last on his rookie contract. Peppers has been a good player for New York since coming over from the Cleveland Browns in the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade. He was especially strong last year, when he finished third on the team in tackles and second in passes defended. Peppers was one most consistent and reliable players on a surpisingly good 2020 Big Blue defense.

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It’s clear Peppers has emerged as a leader on the team, and his recruiting of free agents to New York this offseason indicates he wants to be a Giants for a long time. The issue is whether the Giants deem him valuable enough to hand him the big new contract he’ll likely command. As mentioned above with Shepard, New York’s spending spree this offseason could make them cash strapped next year. Extending Peppers could be seen as an unaffordable luxury, especially with young safeties Xavier McKinney and Julian Love under contract on rookie deals. For Peppers to be a Giant for years to come, he’ll have to prove himself an inexpendable piece of a very good New York defense in 2021.

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3. QB Daniel Jones

Quarterback is always the most scrutinized position in football, and with the high price of second contracts for quarterbacks after their four-year rookie deals, the pressure is greater than ever on young signal callers to quickly prove themselves. Jones has yet to show that he’s definitely Big Blue’s franchise guy, and entering his third season the clock is winding down on his trial period. He’s displayed flashes of good play, and he hasn’t been the foremost of New York’s problems, but his stats and tape have fallen short of top-tier quarterback expectations.

Now that the Giants have spent money to give him his best supporting cast, the time is now for Jones to squash any questions about his long-term viability. New York’s offensive line is still a major concern in pass protection, so Jones’ situation isn’t perfect. But he now has the skill-position talent to have the breakout year fans are hoping for. Otherwise, the Giants could be looking to find his replacement in next year’s draft.

2. GM Dave Gettleman

Gettleman’s seat as the Giants’ general manager has been hot for a couple years now. In fact, it’s a small upset that he still holds the position. New York is 15-33 in the three seasons under his watch, fifth-worst league wide over that time span. He’s already on his second head coach, so another losing season will have the fingers of media and ownership pointed plainly in his direction.

Gettleman has bounced back with a couple good offseasons after having a terrible start to his tenure. But this is the year where results have to manifest on the field. Ownership gave him the green light to splurge in free agency, suggesting he feels this team is close to success. If he’s wrong, it’ll be his head, and his axing would only precipitate a flurry of other changes.

1. OC Jason Garrett

The Giants’ offense ranked 19th in points per game in 2019 under coach Pat Shurmur; not good, by any means, but not awful. Under new coordinator Garrett last year, the offense was undisputedly awful, ranking 31st in points per game. There were a number of contributing factors that led to Big Blue’s offensive backslide, like losing star running back Saquon Barkley for the year, and having to install a new system in a severely abridged offseason. But primary responsibility for New York’s dreadful scoring output falls on Garrett, who’s mind-numbingly dull offense created few big plays.

As is the case for Jones, the Giants’ influx of offensive skill position talent has stripped Garrett of most excuses. If he trots out the same static, predictable system as last year, and New York’s offense struggles out of the gate, he could be handed his walking papers mid-way through the season. The Giants have serious aspirations for the playoffs this season. They won’t sit back and let those dissipate thanks to inadequate play calling.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.