Michael Lombardi, a longtime NFL executive turned analyst, knows how the system works and how it should work.
In a recent post in The Athletic, Lombardi explains his favorite (and least favorite) moves in free agency this year. One of his least favorites is (you guessed it) the signing of New York Giants singer Adoree Jackson, who Big Blue signed this week with a three-year, $ 39 million deal.
I loved that Jackson left USC. His speed and ball skills turned him into a corner that could turn the defense into an offensive. However, in the last two seasons, he has only played 14 games, played little on the ball and lacks the return skills he showed in college. I would love signing the Giants if they paid a modest salary, betting that Jackson would return to the game with more passion and more durability. But the Giants paid him off as if he were a big starter, with money guaranteed to have done very little over the last two seasons. Who were the teams the Giants competed against to acquire Jackson? The Titans know Jackson well, desperately need corners of coverage, and moved away from the contract. What does that say?
Good points. Giants are in the midst of changing everything from culture to their processes. They will move from a heavyweight organization where the property and front office rule strongly to one in which the people closest to the camp (Joe Judge) have more motive in terms of staff.
In this case, Jackson is seen as an exchangeable asset that has the best days ahead of him as an NFL player. Now most Giant fans make this signing a gamble, but they trust the judge’s judgment on this and others.
Lombardi’s goal is that this is not like the other moves the Giants have made recently. This is not a “low risk and high reward” situation because of the huge guarantees in Jackson’s contract.