Giants pursuing 'aggressive' strategy as trade deadline approaches: 'We’re turning over every stone'

Posted by Admin November 2, 2026 NFL

Since losing franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart to a complex knee injury in Week 1, the Giants have faced an onslaught of injuries on both ends of the field, including starters Brian Burns and Tremaine Edmunds. Tyrone Tracy is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Theo Johnson, Marcus Mbow, Greg Newsome II, and Jevon Holland were all listed as questionable as of Oct. 27. Most recently, Cam Skattebo tweaked his hamstring at the tail end of a 42-yard run in overtime during their Week 7 win over the Houston Texans.

They’ve found ways to weather the storm, battling their way to an NFC East-leading 4-2-1 record, but it hasn’t been pretty. With just nine days to go until the trade deadline, set for 4 p.m. on Nov. 10, head coach John Harbaugh said the team is doing everything it can to fill some of those holes.

“We’re turning over every stone. We’re making every call,” the head coach said Monday afternoon. “We’re getting all the information we can possibly get at all times, and we are not apologizing for that at any point in time, ever.”

Harbaugh even got in on the action last week, calling Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk in an attempt to trade for star pass rusher Jeffrey Simmons. Though the unorthodox move didn’t work — Simmons went to the Chicago Bears — Harbaugh said his bid was part of the all-hands-on-deck mentality the Giants’ front office holds when it comes to making the most of the deadline.

“The way they’ve done it here in the past, it’s transparent in our building,” he said. “We’re all talking to each other. We all know what each other’s doing. I know who Joe’s calling. If I’m calling somebody, Joe knows who I’m calling.”

He added that his 28 years of NFL coaching experience have allowed him to develop strong relationships with people across the league, especially team owners. While general manager Joe Schoen might have a better shot at negotiating trades with other GMs, Harbaugh feels he also has a responsibility to take advantage of his connections.

But he was clear that the Big Blue aren’t shopping just to shop. Harbaugh said he’s confident in the group of players currently in New York’s locker room, and he wouldn’t want to jeopardize the system the team has already built.

“We’ve got a great camaraderie, a great brotherhood, synergy,” he said. “All those things are really, really good right now, and you want to take that into account, even to the point where you probably talk to some of your guys before you do something like that. Make sure that everybody understands, and they’re on board with it.

Besides, with only six picks in the 2027 Draft, the Giants don’t have much to spend. As a result, he’s more interested in protecting the resources they already have and adding for the future than looking for a quick, potentially short-lived jolt.

“For me, [I wouldn’t want it to be] a one-and-done kind of thing,” he said. “You want to have a short-term and a long-term win if you’re going to give up draft capital.”