The New York Giants need to be very careful in any potential trade discussions.
With the New York Giants' cornerback room in dire straits right now, you might be tempted to want the Giants to swing a trade for disgruntled Pittsburgh Steelers corner Joey Porter Jr. And you know what? Porter would be a terrific addition.
But New York needs to keep the long view in mind.
What does that mean? Well, any in-season trade for Porter would signify the Giants attempting to make a playoff push. Porter is slated to hit free agency after the season, and if he does get to the open market, New York could simply sign him then without surrendering any draft capital for him.
Right now, the Giants are relatively thin on draft assets. They traded their fourth-round pick in the deal to land Malachi Fields in the NFL Draft back in April, and they also do not have a seventh-rounder in 2027.
You have to figure that New York would have to part with a third-rounder — at least — to pry Porter away from Pittsburgh, and I'm just not sure that's worth it for a player on an expiring contract when you are not a Super Bowl contender.
Look, I get it: the Giants looked great in Week 1, but this team is still likely a year away from genuinely being taken seriously. There is no doubt New York has gotten better, but this is still probably no better than an eight or nine-win ballclub this season.
Why give up draft capital then? Why not just wait until the offseason and sign Porter as part of a secondary rebuild? The Giants are projected to have a nice chunk of cap room in the spring, so they will have the ability to sign free agents. And they might end up being a pretty intriguing destination for star players.
The New England Patriots and Chicago Bears of last year have spoiled fans into thinking worst-to-first can happen overnight. Typically, it doesn't.
Does New York have an outside shot of winning the NFC East? I suppose, but that has more to do with the division being rather pedestrian than the Giants actually being Super Bowl contenders. News flash: they aren't. Not in 2026.
Next season or in 2028, though? That could be a different story.
New York is still in rebuilding mode. It isn't bare bones like the Las Vegas Raiders. It has plenty of pieces in place. But it still needs more to complete the process.
The Giants probably should have paid more attention to the cornerback position during the offseason. They didn't, and now they are paying the price with Paulson Adebo being on IR and both Deonte Banks and Greg Newsome II also battling injuries.
But that does not mean New York should have a knee-jerk reaction and trade a Day 2 pick for Porter when it isn't necessary.
