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Which New York NFL team is the bigger mess? Giants or Jets?

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Which New York NFL team is the bigger mess? Giants or Jets?

Four more weeks. That’s all New York City football fans must endure. Four more weeks, and this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season from … will finally be over.

In case you’re someone who doesn’t live in New York — we don’t mean you, Buffalo, your Bills are great — or follow their wretched football teams here’s a snapshot of what’s been going on in the Big Apple lately:

The most interesting part of the New York Giants’ most recent game happened not on the field but in the sky when a fan flew an airplane over MetLife Stadium towing a banner that pleaded with the team co-owner John Mara to “plz fix this dumpster fire.”

The most interesting part of the New York Jets’ most recent game happened in the postgame locker room when star wide receiver Garrett Wilson wondered if losing is in the team’s DNA after the franchise missed the postseason for the 14th straight year.

Welcome to NFL football in New York. It’s a disaster.

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At least some New Yorkers have Juan Soto to look forward to. (Sorry, Yankees fans).

So, what exactly has gone wrong? Pretty much everything.

The Jets thought they were a quarterback away from not only playoff contention but Super Bowl contention when they traded for Aaron Rodgers two offseasons ago. So far, that experiment could not have gone much worse. They are 3-10; the head coach was fired after a Week 5 loss; the general manager was fired during their bye week; and the team has somehow managed to lose five games where they had a lead in the fourth quarter. Wilson said after Sunday’s overtime loss to the Dolphins that the Jets are like Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

And they’re not even the worst team in New York.

At 2-11, the Giants are one game worse and are riding an eight-game losing streak with zero wins in the division or at MetLife Stadium. After a brutal 6-11 season in 2023, the Giants were supposed to show some progress in their third year under general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll. Instead, things have been so bad that they released their starting quarterback — the one they’d very recently given a four-year, $160 million contract — in the middle of the season, while the rest of the roster has been decimated by injuries.

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With postseason hopes dead before December, fan bases for both teams have already been turning their attention to the possibility of landing a top draft pick. For the record, the Giants currently sit at No. 2, according to Tankathon. The Jets would pick at No. 7.

But the future, of course, encompasses far more than just the draft, and we’re wondering which team has more work to do to turn things around. That requires an analysis of what needs to be fixed and who’s in charge of fixing it. For that, we turn to The Athletic’s Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt and Giants reporter Charlotte Carroll. They discussed three of the biggest questions facing these franchises moving forward. After reading their answers, you can decide which New York Football team you think is the bigger mess.

Neither team has a franchise QB (and hasn’t for a while). Do the Giants or Jets have the better path to finding one?

Giants: Some of the only good news for Giants fans over the past few weeks has been that their draft positioning keeps getting better and better … because they keep losing. According to The Athletic’s NFL projection model, the Giants have a 46% chance of picking No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, their “hold” on a top pick in the draft is tenuous. Six teams, including the Jets, have three wins, and if the Giants joined them, they could fall down the board due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker.

But if the Giants do secure a top pick, they’ll have a chance to select one of the draft’s best quarterbacks. Right now, that looks like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward. Some evaluators believe neither is worthy of a top pick, but the Giants are going to be feeling the pressure to find their next franchise QB. Patience might not be an option. Maybe it works out, and they get their guy. Or maybe they’re right back where they started after over-drafting Daniel Jones in 2019.

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No matter what the Giants do in the draft, however, they’ll need to add a veteran bridge quarterback in free agency. Drew Lock, a free agent at season’s end, hasn’t shown enough to be that player. The same goes for Tommy DeVito, an exclusive rights free agent who can be brought back on a minimum salary. The Giants will want the option of letting their top pick sit and learn rather than having to force him into the starter’s role from Day 1. And if the Giants don’t end up getting a quarterback, they’ll need a capable starter who can keep the offense afloat until the following offseason.

Jets: Certainly not the Jets. Rodgers is under contract for 2025, but as of now, it seems highly unlikely that he will return in 2025 — especially since his return would trigger a $35 million option bonus in 2026. The Jets will need to lose out (or close to it) to truly get into the mix for one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, and none of these prospects are viewed as can’t-miss players. Unless the new GM has a sneaky trade up his sleeve, there are not exactly many appealing options in free agency — and no, Sam Darnold won’t be returning. Most likely, the Jets roll with Tyrod Taylor (or another bridge quarterback) before handing the keys off to someone else down the line — whether that’s a rookie in this draft class or a future one.

OK, excluding quarterback, which roster has the most heavy lifting to do to become playoff-caliber?

Giants: My beat partner, Dan Duggan, delivered a great, in-depth breakdown of the Giants’ building blocks. But the synopsis is this: While there are some high-quality players on the roster, they don’t have nearly enough to feel good about the foundation. As Duggan noted, in three years, Schoen hasn’t drafted or signed a single Pro Bowler.

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Now, there are encouraging signs from rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, running back Tyrone Tracy, safety Tyler Nubin and cornerback Dru Phillips. But the Giants will need to once again invest in the offensive line after going veteran-heavy this offseason. Right guard Greg Van Roten is 34 years old and on a one-year deal, while stopgap right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is signed for just one more season. The lack of depth on the defensive line has been exposed with injuries to Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson. Plus, cornerback has been a weak spot due to uneven play and injuries.

Assuming the Giants emerge with a top pick and don’t fall in love with any of the quarterbacks, they could go the route of trading down, collecting more draft picks and filling out the roster that way. The team also isn’t in bad shape in terms of cap space, with about $58 million next year, according to Over The Cap, so they could plug some holes through free agency.

Jets: The Jets already have a playoff-caliber roster — maybe not as much as I would’ve argued they did a year ago, but they have a core of talent that makes the job opening more appealing than many people are giving them credit for. This is the best offensive line Joe Douglas has assembled in his six years — low bar, but true — and four of the five starters are young and under contract for 2025: Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann and Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson are two talented, young players to build an offense around — and on defense, they’ll bring back a solid core, including cornerback Sauce Gardner, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, linebackers Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson, edge Will McDonald and safety Michael Carter II. There are plenty of holes to fill on this roster, but the Jets are starting with a good baseline of talent.

Neither ownership group is faring very well with their respective fan bases right now. Which one is better positioned to turn things around the quickest?

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Giants: Mara craves stability — something this franchise hasn’t had in a long time. In October, the team co-owner said the Giants were not making any in-season changes and that he did not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either. That was six losses ago. Have things changed?

We’re going to find out. The big question for Giants ownership is whether they will stick with Schoen and Daboll or if they’re going to have to start over again. A new head coach would be the Giants’ fifth in a decade, while a new GM would be the Giants’ third since 2017. The decision will obviously have huge ramifications, not the least of which will be whoever in charge will get to select the franchise’s next starting quarterback.

Jets: Historically, you’re better off banking on the Giants turning things around quicker than the Jets — though neither ownership has had a particularly sterling resume in recent years. The biggest difference is Woody Johnson’s involvement — he has more of a hand in the Jets decision-making than Mara does for the Giants, at least on the surface, and until that changes, the Jets are going to have a hard time getting to a place where they’re consistently making the playoffs. If Johnson is willing to turn the keys of the organization over to a general manager and let him run the show, then the Jets can get back on track sooner than later.


OK, we’ve laid it all out for you. Now it’s time for you to choose. Which team is the bigger mess?

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(Photos of Woody Johnson and John Mara: Matthew Stockman and Rich Schultz / Getty Images)

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USA Rugby to introduce ‘open’ gender category for trans athletes

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USA Rugby to introduce ‘open’ gender category for trans athletes

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USA Rugby, the nation’s governing body for the sport of rugby, announced Friday it will be introducing a new “open” gender division to accommodate trans athletes.

The new rule comes more than a year after President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order and nearly seven months after the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) new requirement for all governing bodies to comply with it.

“USA Rugby will now have three competition categories; Men’s Division, Women’s Division and Open Division. The Open Division will permit any athlete, regardless of gender assigned at birth and gender identity, to compete in USA Rugby-sanctioned events, whether full contact or non-contact,” the organization said in a statement. 

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Cassidy Bargell of the United States passes the ball during a women’s rugby World Cup 2025 match against Samoa at LNER Community Stadium in Monks Cross, York, Sept. 6, 2025. (Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto)

The organization’s policy also seemingly allows any hopeful competitors to simply select their gender when registering, with potential vetting by officials.

“Division status will be determined during the membership application and registration process, when an athlete selects the ‘gender’ option in Rugby Xplorer. When applying for membership or registering as ‘Female’ or registering for an event in the Women’s Division, an athlete represents and warrants to USA Rugby that they are Female.”

“This representation creates a rebuttable presumption that the individual’s sex identified at birth was female,” the organization’s member policy states. 

Gabriella Cantorna, Ilona Maher and Emily Henrich of the U.S. before a women’s rugby World Cup 2025 match against Samoa at York Community Stadium Sept. 6, 2025, in York, England.  (Molly Darlington/World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

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“The determination of whether an individual is Female may be established through records from authoritative sources. Only USA Rugby shall have the right to contest the individual’s Women’s Division status or challenge the presumption of an athlete registered as ‘Female.’”

In July, the USOPC updated its athlete safety policy to indicate compliance with Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. 

However, Trump has also pushed for mandatory genetic testing of athletes to protect the women’s category at the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics amid concerns over forged birth certificates allowing biological males to gain access to women’s sports.

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The USA Rugby goal line flag before a match between the United States and Scotland at Audi Field July 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)

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USOPC Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Finnoff said at the USOPC media summit in October the SRY gene tests being used by World Athletics and World Boxing are “not common” in the U.S. but suggested the USOPC is exploring options to employ sex testing options for its own teams and that he expects other world governing bodies to “follow suit.” 

“It’s not necessarily very common to get this specific test in the United States, and, so, our goal in that was helping to identify labs and options for the athletes to be able to get that testing. And (it was) based on that experience and knowing that some other international federations likely will be following suit,” Finnoff said. 

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Growing forfeits in soccer because of ineligible players could spur change to CIF bylaw

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Growing forfeits in soccer because of ineligible players could spur change to CIF bylaw

Forfeits by high school boys’ soccer teams in the City Section and Southern Section playoffs continued Friday as both sections try to deal with violations of CIF Bylaw 600, which prohibits players from participating in outside leagues during their sports season.

Calabasas pulled out of the Southern Section Division 3 championship because of an ineligible player. Chavez became the sixth City Section school eliminated from the playoffs for using an ineligible player and was replaced by Chatsworth for the City Division I final.

There’s also an allegation about another Southern Section team that could result in another forfeit in the final.

Some high schools thought they had found a solution by not allowing players to play until after their club seasons ended in early December. Cathedral had several players miss its first three games because of several big club tournaments in November and early December.

“You communicate to students and parents,” Cathedral coach Arturo Lopez said. “Unfortunately, there’s more and more academies now.”

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Ron Nocetti, the executive director of the CIF, said, “I think we have to have conversations with our sections.”

CIF membership repeatedly has rejected the proposal of getting rid of Bylaw 600. Schools don’t want to have their coaches battling it out weekly with club coaches, which also would place additional pressure on athletes dealing with school work and then having to do double workouts.

The balancing act for students already is tough enough, with the amount of club teams growing in a lot of sports because it’s a lucrative business. The CIF briefly suspended the rule during the pandemic in 2020 but quickly reinstated it.

The problem is club soccer programs are holding competitions in the middle of the high school season, and players, knowing the rule that you can’t play high school and club at the same time, apparently have decided to try to do both with the hope of not getting caught.

This year, they are getting caught. Emails alleging violations started arriving to City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos before the semifinals. If a player is found to have played club, the high school team has to forfeit, and if it happens during the playoffs, the team is eliminated.

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Usually the pressure is on schools to make sure rules are not violated, but for Bylaw 600, schools can do everything right and still be punished for a player violating the rule on their own.

Several leagues are expected to present proposals to get rid of Bylaw 600. Nocetti said membership might be open to adopting changes.

“Maybe this is a tipping point for schools saying maybe it’s time to make a big change with the rule,” he said.

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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever. 

The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.

Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season. 

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.

Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries. 

A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024. 

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

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Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career. 

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.

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When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”

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