Giants announce GM Dave Gettleman retiring after four seasons

When Dave Gettleman was hired in late December 2017, he took over a Giants organization that was in disarray, having gone from a playoff team to a dysfunctional, toxic, 3-13 mess in just one year. So he promised he would "come in here every day and kick ass," and told Giants fans, "Just hang in there with us and we’re going to get it fixed."

Four years later, the Gettleman Era is over. And the franchise looks like it’s in far worse shape than when he arrived.

The 70-year-old Gettleman was officially ousted on Monday, when the Giants announced his "retirement" from the NFL. Make no mistake, though: This was a forced retirement, brought on by the Giants’ 19-46 record during Gettleman’s years running the team.

Said Gettleman in a statement:

"It was a privilege to serve as the general manager of the New York Giants the last four years and to have spent so many years of my career with this franchise. We obviously have not had the on-the-field success I expected, and that is disappointing. However, I have many fond memories here, including two Super Bowl victories, and I wish the team and organization only the best moving forward. There are many good people here who pour their souls into this organization. I am proud to have worked alongside them."

For the moment, Gettleman was the only one to take the fall for that. Head coach Joe Judge, who during his two years has guided Gettleman’s team to a 10-23 record, was still employed as of Monday afternoon and was telling his coaches and players that he expected to be back next season. However, he was scheduled to meet with co-owner John Mara Monday afternoon and it’s unclear whether his future has been decided yet.

As for Gettleman, his tenure included double-digit losses in all four seasons, including a dismal 4-13 record this season. He’s also had a hand in hiring two head coaches and made countless poor choices in the draft and free agency. And he completely failed at what he considered his No. 1 priority – rebuilding the offensive line that now seems no better than it was when he arrived.

Worse, as he built a team he somehow expected to be a playoff contender this season, he left the Giants with almost no salary cap space to use in free agency – meaning there may not be a quick way to clean up this mess.

As far as the upcoming GM search, Giants ownership said it will be "comprehensive."

"We are looking for a person who demonstrates exceptional leadership and communication abilities, somebody who will oversee all aspects of our football operations, including player personnel, college scouting and coaching," said Mara.

Added co-owner Steve Tisch: 

"It is an understatement to say John and I are disappointed by the lack of success we have had on the field. We are united in our commitment to find a general manager who will provide the direction necessary for us to achieve the on-field performance and results we all expect."

In all, these last four years have been a stunning failure for the man Mara said had knowledge of NFL personnel that was "second to none," "excellent evaluation skills," and "strong leadership qualities" on the day he was hired. Gettleman showed none of that, presiding over the worst stretch of football for the Giants, record-wise, since the mid-1970s. That, and his sometimes arrogant, dismissive attitude in news conferences made him arguably the least popular executive the Giants have ever had.

It’s not clear where Mara will turn next for a new general manager in what might be his most important decision since becoming the Giants’ co-owner. Many believe that when he hired Gettleman his intention was to groom assistant GM Kevin Abrams as his eventual replacement. But with an angry fan base seething from seven seasons of double-digit losses in the last eight years and one playoff berth in the last decade, Mara likely realizes how unpopular it would be if he promoted someone from within.

If he goes outside the Giants "family" for a new GM – something the organization hasn’t done since George Young was forced upon them by the NFL in 1979 – his search could lead anywhere. Former Browns and Chiefs GM John Dorsey, Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort, Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen, and Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler could all be candidates in a very wide field.

Whether the new GM will be asked to keep Judge or will have a voice in that decision was unclear on Monday afternoon. It’s already a source of embarrassment to Mara that he fired his last two coaches after only two seasons. And now an organization once known for its stability will be seeking its third general manager in a span of a little more than four years.

Gettleman was expected to provide that stability when he arrived on Dec. 28, 2017, just a few weeks after Mara fired GM Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo in a clean sweep late in the 2017 season, right after the Eli Manning fiasco, when they unceremoniously benched the franchise quarterback and ended his prized streak of 210 consecutive starts. Mara, with the guidance of former GM Ernie Accorsi, almost immediately turned his sights to Gettleman. In fact, they barely conducted a search, interviewing only four candidates, including Gettleman, Abrams, then-scouting director Marc Ross, and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick.

Gettleman made sense, at the time. He had spent 15 years inside the Giants organization, first as a scout (1998) and then as the director of pro personnel (1999-2011). Unable to land a GM job anywhere, he took a step back from daily duties in 2012 to become a senior pro personnel analyst.

But the next year, he landed the job as the Panthers' GM and spent a mostly successful four seasons there. The Panthers went 51-28-1 in his four seasons and even reached Super Bowl 50. But he was fired after reportedly angering many current and former Panthers players with what they described publicly as a brusk management style.

Gettleman’s style never bothered Mara, especially since the two were familiar with each other. Gettleman’s problem in New York was mostly about his poor decisions. He made some terrible free agent signings, such as when he signed tackle Nate Solder to a four-year, $62 million deal shortly after he was hired. He threw money away on players like guard Patrick Omameh (three years, $15 million in 2018), linebacker Kareem Martin (three years, $15 million in 2018), and receiver Golden Tate (three years, $37.5 million in 2019) too.

He also made some awful trades – like when he dealt away all-pro pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul shortly after he arrived for only a third-round pick, and then turned around and traded fourth- and sixth-round picks for washed-up linebacker Alec Ogletree. Even dealing a third- and fifth-round pick to the Jets for defensive lineman Leonard Williams at the 2020 trade deadline was questionable, since five months later the Giants could have signed him as a free agent without giving up any picks at all.

Gettleman’s signature moves, though, involve bigger players – and perhaps bigger mistakes. He traded away the biggest star the Giants have had in the last decade when he shipped receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. to Cleveland in March 2019, less than seven months after signing him to a five-year, $95 million contract extension and just weeks after restating his famous line: "I didn’t sign him to trade him."

Gettleman also used his first draft pick with the Giants on running back Saquon Barkley – falling in love with what he called a "gold jacket" player and taking him second overall. Many warned at the time that taking a player at such an injury-prone position was too risky, especially when the Giants needed to find a quarterback to replace Manning But Gettleman ignored them and basked in Barkley’s Rookie of the Year debut season. Injuries, though, have derailed his career since.

One year later, Gettleman did get Manning’s successor, taking Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the draft – a pick he hopes will still be his legacy with the Giants organization. There were many who believed Jones was selected too high, however, especially since the Giants had a second first-round pick at No. 17. But Gettleman didn’t believe Jones would still be available then.

Those decisions, along with a litany of draft picks who failed to live up to expectations, are why he’s out and why the Giants look like they’re about to enter another long period of rebuilding. And because of that, this change at the top of the organization’s front office structure may turn out to be the first of many changes in the franchise in the years to come.