Why the New York Giants Trade With Chicago Was Brilliant

Yes, the Giants got extra draft capital, but the move to add assets is huge for another very big reason.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman insisted that he didn’t want to get fleeced in the deal if he traded down in the draft.

It turns out that Gettleman, in his first trade down in the first round as an NFL general manager, did the fleecing, getting the Chicago Bears’ first and fifth picks in this year’s draft plus their first and fourth (Nos. 20 and 164) in next year’s draft.

"Obviously it was too good an opportunity," said Gettleman. "It added too much value, and we felt very comfortable with where our board was and we felt comfortable with who would be there, who would be available in that slot. So we made it. We did it. So we added a 1 and a 4 next year. Another pick for this year and another pick for next year. We were very pleased we were able to make the trade."

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The fifth-round pick gives the Giants back a fifth-rounder, albeit ten spots lower than where they were initially supposed to pick had they not included that selection in the Leonard Williams trade with the Jets. The Giants also now have a full seven draft picks this year, barring any trades.

But it’s the two picks in the 2022 draft that are the real steals in this deal. Assistant general manager Kevin Abrams admitted concern last week when talking about the Giants' huge spending spree in free agency in which they uncharacteristically backloaded contracts and included voidable years to fit guys into this year’s cap.

Abrams, who manages the team’s salary cap, said, “Next year could be a little bit of a challenge—we’ll see. It’s going to depend on science and state legislatures and fans in stands and a lot of other variables and we’ll see where it goes. I don’t think we’re in a bad spot cap-wise, but next year could be a little more challenging than probably the years after that.”

With the two additional draft picks next year—the Giants weren’t going to get compensatory picks given their free-agency activity this year—New York gives themselves some other talent who will be on rookie deals, including the second first-round pick from the Bears they’ll have in addition to their own pick.

That kind of planning makes it a win-win for the Giants and Gettleman, who so far on paper has had one of the best off-seasons of any Giants general manager in the last decade if it all works out into a winning season.

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