NY Giants are building for a better tomorrow, not just a better 2026

John Harbaugh | Getty Images I find myself in an uncomfortable position as my fingers tap on the keyboard of this brand new MacBook Air laptop the fine folks at Vox Media delivered to my doorstep this week. I am about to agree with something written by Pat Leonard of the Daily News, a good journalist but one whose style is about as far from mine as could possibly be. So, why am I in this uncomfortable position as I work my way through this post on a drizzly Saturday morning.

Because Leonard recently wrote a reasoned take on the state of the 2026 Giants that I actually believe is on the mark. Here is the essential part of what Leonard wrote: John Harbaugh’s prudent and at times frugal spending, with a heavy concentration on one-year contracts and Band-Aid deals at positions of need, seems to signal a longer-term approach rather than any rushed urgency toward retooling the current team for an immediate 2026 run. Not that the Giants are punting on the 2026 season.

They can’t. Not with Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns on those contracts and with quarterback Jaxson Dart stepping into his critical second pro season. That’s why they recruited a playoff-experienced middle linebacker in Tremaine Edmunds and bought tight end Isaiah Likely at the top of his position’s market.

And that’s why they’re throwing numbers at the receiver position, where No. 1 target Malik Nabers’ availability is in doubt as he recovers from a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. Still, Harbaugh was not hired to wave a magic wand on the Giants for this fall.