The New York Giants have six games remaining on their 2024 regular season schedule but some players are already looking ahead to next year.
Following Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium, linebacker Brian Burns praised the team’s rookie class but did it in a way that may indicate he’s checked out.
From The Athletic:
The rookie struggles can be chalked up as growing pains, and Burns said, “they’re going to be key players for us next year.” It was a bit alarming, however, that Burns was talking about next year with six games remaining in this season. But that’s where things stand for the Giants.
As his teammates described their Week 12 performance as “soft,” Burns called it “ass.” Other players, such as wide receiver Darius Slayton and offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, implied some of their teammates are giving less than 100 percent.
Maybe they, too, are beginning to look ahead to 2025. After all, it’s clear this season is lost.
Still, remarking on what the rookie class will do a year from now when there are still games to be played is a poor indicator of where the team’s focus is. They should be honed in on the now but that’s obviously not the case.
You can hardly blame Burns for looking ahead, especially when his comment came off the cuff, but the optics are poor and paint an ugly picture for head coach Brian Daboll.
