Gettleman Admits That He Overestimated the Giants' Rebuild Process

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman admitted that he thought he would be fired along with head coach Pat Shurmur after the Giants completed a 4-12 season.

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t expect Giants general manager Dave Gettleman to be breathing a sigh of relief after having been given a mulligan despite putting together a roster this year that finished one game worse than it did in 2018.

Gettleman, who admitted in a pair of radio interviews Thursday with WFAN and ESPN New York that he had “substantive conversations” with team owners John Mara and Steve Tisch about his job performance, said that he was convinced he would be fired after just two seasons on the job.

In the end, the owners elected to retain Gettleman to continue overseeing the changes he’s implemented behind the scenes and show head coach Pat Shurmur the door.

Gettleman also admitted that he overestimated the state of the roster and believing that the team could win while it was rebuilding.

“Listen, this is a bottom-line business, and it’s about winning,” he told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts.

“We hadn’t won enough, and I’d been a part of that . . . We all have high standards, and we all expect to be the best, and that’s what we shoot for. I obviously haven’t met that standard, and I’m disappointed.”

Gettleman then admitted during his guest spot on the Michael Kay Show that he believed that mixing in veterans who carried high contracts were done to win.

“This is where I’m culpable,” Gettleman said. “I came into it, and I thought that we could do both at the same time. And I was wrong.”

With Gettleman having acknowledged the error of his ways, the humbled general manager said he’s willing to put his pride aside if it’s in the best interest of the organization.

That means that if the next head coach desires more of a say in building the roster, Gettleman will acquiesce without so much as a peep of resistance.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the New York Football Giants win the Super Bowl,” Gettleman told Benigno and Roberts. 

“I learned a long time ago, one of the biggest issues we have as men is we’re about control and credit. Let’s just be a team, and let’s win the prize.”

To that end, Gettleman said he wouldn’t be afraid to draft over spots if there was a chance to upgrade, citing the offensive line, which he said wasn’t quite the disaster the general public made it out to be, as an example.

Gettleman also made it clear that a pass rusher was on the table after the Giants last year passed on Kentucky’s Josh Allen at no. 6 overall to draft quarterback Daniel Jones, a player for whom he said Shurmur lobbied.

“Everybody east of the Pacific Ocean is going to tell you we need a pass rusher, and I don’t disagree,” he said. “Markus Golden had a real fine year, but we need more pass rush,” he said.

One thing that the Giants don’t appear to need is a new starting quarterback. Gettleman told Benigno and Roberts that the team is delighted with the development Daniel Jones showed as a rookie.

“We’re very excited about it. He’s a terrific young man, very talented. It takes a special type of person to flourish in this market,” he said. 

“Eli (Manning) set the standard; let’s be honest. We all knew we needed a quarterback. Eli’s time was coming to an end, and everyone in the free world knew that it was really important to us to not just have the physical skills but also the mental skills to negotiate metropolitan New York.”

“We feel very comfortable saying he has those skills physically. He has the ability to do everything ... he’s a much better athlete than people realize. He led us to a come-from-behind win. He led us to a win in overtime. He can make all the throws. He did some really impressive stuff.”

It’s now up to Gettleman to make sure that there is a lot more talent around Jones so that the entire team can do more impressive stuff as a whole.