Beginning with the 2021 season, the NFL reduced the number of preseason games from four to three and increased the regular season schedule from 16 to 17 games. Rapacious team owners put forth that player safety was their primary reason in pushing for the changes, when everyone who was an active participant in or followed the sport — and still does — knew it was a blatant lie. The change was all about the bag, or more aptly, a bank vault of billions of dollars.
Regular season games generate substantially more revenue than preseason games through broadcast rights, merchandising, ticket sales, and concessions. The expansion to an 18-game regular season is inevitable. It could happen as early as 2027 if owners and the players, represented by its union, the NFL Players Association can agree on revenue splits when future negotiations are held.
With that preamble, the Jets and Giants play their final preseason games tomorrow night and this evening respectively before the opening of the regular season on September 7. In those final games, the Jets will host the Philadelphia Eagles (7:30 p.m.) and the Giants will be at home to face the New England Patriots (8:00 p.m). Many of the first-team positions for both squads are solidified. For other spots, competition is still ongoing and the starters may not be decided until a few days before the regular season begins.
While the Giants coaching staff has installed 36-year-old veteran Russell Wilson as QB1 — and the 10-time Pro Bowler and 2014 Super Bowl champion is a capable steward — rookie first round pick Jaxon Dart has authored two strong preseason performances in the Giants’ 34-25 win against the Buffalo Bills on August 9 and a 31-12 victory over the Jets at MetLife Stadium last Saturday. The Giants drafted Dart with the hopes he’ll be the long-term franchise quarterback they’ve been pursuing since Eli Manning was replaced by Daniel Jones as the team’s starter six years ago in September 2019.
Jones, a Giants first round pick in (No. 6 overall) 2019, never materialized as that guy, and he and the Giants mutually agreed on his release last November. On Tuesday, Jones, who signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts in March, was named the starter over third-year QB Anthony Richardson.
Many Giants fans are calling for Dart to open the regular season as the team’s starter. After watching four rookies (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix) all first rounders, thrust into starting roles last season, it is understandable why Giants fans want the transition to Dart as the leading man to happen sooner rather than later. The Giants have the league’s toughest schedule based on the combined record of opponents from a season ago — so it would be baptism by fire.
But Giants head coach Brian Daboll remained committed to Wilson after Saturday’s game. ”Russ is our starter and we’re going to keep developing Jaxson,” he said. “… What we’re trying to do is help Jaxson be the best quarterback he can be.”
The Jets’ starting QB, Justin Fields, hasn’t engendered the same optimism from Jets fans. He looked out of sorts versus the Giants, going 1-5 for four yards in his two series. However, head coach Aaron Glenn didn’t single out Fields in criticizing the offense’s collective struggles.
“I don’t want to say the same thing over and over. Our offense, in general, wasn’t good enough,” he said as reported by ESPN’s Rich Cimini.