Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. In today's installment, he explains why both downtrodden New York teams are moving up in the football world ...
The Jets own the longest postseason drought in the NFL -- by a comfortable margin -- at 15 years. The Giants have posted one winning season over the past nine years. Simply put, NYC-area football has been irrelevant for an extended period. The last time both teams made the playoffs in the same season? Nearly two decades ago, when both lost in the Wild Card Round of the 2006 campaign.
Suddenly, though, things are looking up in the nation's biggest media market. In fact, I think these two franchises are two of the biggest winners of this offseason.
The Giants and Jets are on the rise, and here are the three biggest reasons why you should believe in each.
NEW YORK GIANTS
1) The John Harbaugh factor
After falling behind their division rivals while cycling through coaches over the past decade, the Giants hired a proven winner to spark a revival for the proud franchise. As a highly respected leader with a Super Bowl ring to go along with 11 seasons of double-digit wins, Harbaugh will implement a cultural shift built on championship values. He is a fun-loving disciplinarian who requires commitment and accountability from his charges.
Following the same kind of old-school blueprint that served Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin well during their championship years in New York, Harbaugh will look to build a team that specializes in bullying opponents with physicality, toughness and relentless effort. Although Big Blue's new head man is not a clone or disciple of his successful Giants predecessors, he is a proponent of rugged football that is won in the trenches. The 63-year-old demands that his teams impose their will on opponents, annually deploying a collection of supersized players to maul and mash at every turn. The veteran coach knows how to stack Ws by continually pummeling opponents with body blows, relying on the cumulative effect of persistent violence. Moreover, Harbaugh understands how to put together a roster that features aggressive, ultra-physical players who embrace the grind and uphold the lofty standards of a championship program. While the team's throwback approach and culture might scare off some players, those who buy into the plan could see wins pile up in New York.
After suffering through an identity crisis that sent this organization down to the NFC East basement, the G-Men are poised to re-emerge as legitimate contenders, following the lead of a man who knows rough-and-rugged football never goes out of style.
2) A wealth of linebacking riches
Harbaugh likes to win games with defensive dominance, and this roster offers plenty of talent on that side of the ball, specifically in a linebacking corps that features five first-round picks: Tremaine Edmunds (No. 16 overall pick in 2018), Brian Burns (No. 16, 2019), Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 5, 2022), Abdul Carter (No. 3, 2025) and Arvell Reese (No. 5, 2026). With defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson poised to implement a positionless/versatile scheme that enables all of those dynamic defenders to be on the field together, the Giants will look to suffocate opponents through various pressure packages that showcase the individual and collective talents on hand.
Given Wilson's diverse influences from his coaching and playing background (Mike Macdonald, Jonathan Gannon, Todd Bowles and Gregg Williams, among others), New York's defensive scheme will live on the edges with creative pressures designed to generate and exploit one-on-one matchups at the line of scrimmage. Burns, Carter and Thibodeaux should wreak havoc as dynamic pass rushers with the speed, quickness and athleticism to win in a variety of ways. The trio's flexibility to operate as stand-up or hand-down defenders gives Wilson a chance to change the picture for the opposing quarterback without switching out personnel.
Reese adds another dimension to the group as a swift off-ball linebacker with elite pass-rushing potential. Although his game is rough and raw -- given his limited college experience, particularly as a pure QB hunter -- the Giants could find various ways to unleash him on foes. Replicating Dallas' early approach with Micah Parsons, New York can follow a blueprint that helped a division rival transform a hybrid defender into a perennial All-Pro. While that's a lofty comparison to affix to a rookie adapting to the pro game, the Giants can slowly add responsibilities to Reese's plate because the supporting cast is loaded with game-wreckers who can destroy opponents' plans on their own accord.
Edmunds will operate as the maestro in the middle. The two-time Pro Bowler not only will orchestrate the chaos, but he'll also enhance it with his ballhawking skills as a middle defender.
3) Jaxson Dart's continued growth
On the Move The Sticks podcast, we frequently discuss the impact of the "3 Ps" (play-caller, playmakers and protectors) on the growth of young quarterbacks. The supporting cast around the signal-caller plays a significant role in his development, so teams must surround their QB1s with enough talent in each of those areas to get premium production from the pocket.
The Giants have upgraded the personnel around Dart to allow the second-year pro to take another step forward in his development as a franchise quarterback. New offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has experience tutoring young quarterbacks, showing an ability to tailor game plans to their strengths while simultaneously maximizing his top offensive weapons. The former head coach guided the Chicago Bears to a division title in his first season on the job with a second-year quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky. Moreover, Nagy's experience with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City should help him teach Dart how to play winning football in New York. From managing the game to understanding when to jump into playmaking mode, the soon-to-be 23-year-old will benefit from having a quarterback guru with a championship pedigree as his play-caller.
The Giants also brought aboard playmakers and a protector to help Dart evolve as a distributor from the pocket. Adding free-agent signee Isaiah Likely and third-round pick Malachi Fields to a skill group that already included Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Darius Slayton and Theo Johnson, New York has a balanced but explosive lineup with the potential to morph from a ground-and-pound operation to an aerial circus. Now, the Giants' ability to overwhelm opponents with their perimeter weapons hinges on the offensive line's improvement. Fortunately, the unit should be better with No. 10 overall pick Francis Mauigoa stepping in at right guard to complement LT Andrew Thomas, RT Jermaine Eluemunor, LG Jon Runyan Jr. and C John Michael Schmitz Jr. The 6-foot-5, 329-pound Mauigoa fills a massive hole on the line, and he could transform the group into a top-10 unit that imposes its will on opponents, leading to the kind of complementary football that produces wins in this league.
NEW YORK JETS
1) An influx of change agents
After watching the Jets fall apart in 2025, general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn have stocked the roster with several veterans and rookies possessing winning pedigrees. By adding proven winners to the team puzzle, the Jets are raising the standard of a team that has not reached the playoffs since the 2010 season.
The Jets traded for Geno Smith and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who both have experience as leaders of playoff contenders. Demario Davis, Kingsley Enagbare, Joseph Ossai, David Onyemata and Nahshon Wright were signed to add more playoff experience to a locker room that lacked supreme swagger. They doubled down on the culture-change movement by using their first four draft picks on players who participated in last season's College Football Playoff. David Bailey (Texas Tech), Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon), Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana) and D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana) might be new to the league, but they enter the pros with a clear understanding of expectations for a championship-caliber squad.
Although the roster makeover does not guarantee instant success in 2026, it's part of a franchise overhaul that should put the Jets on the right track.
2) A new and improved passing game
It was a disappointing 2025 campaign for Smith in his lone season with the Raiders, but let's not overlook that he's a two-time Pro Bowler with more 4,000-yard seasons (two) in his 13-year career than the Jets have in their 60-plus seasons of existence (one -- Joe Namath, 1967).
As a bounce-back specialist who has overcome several setbacks during his career, Smith is a polished passer who can pick defenses apart with surgical precision. He has finished with a completion percentage of 64 percent or better in each of the past four seasons, including a league-best 69.8 percent in 2022. Considering Smith has shown he can efficiently operate an offense featuring playmakers on the perimeter, the Jets' upgraded lineup should help him get back to playing high-level football from the pocket.
Garrett Wilson is a made man as an upper-echelon WR1, but the additions of Sadiq and Cooper should really open up the field for the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year. With Adonai Mitchell and Mason Taylor slotted into key roles at WR and Y tight end, respectively, the Jets have 11 and 12 personnel packages that can create mismatch problems for opponents. Additionally, the versatility of Breece Hall -- who was rewarded on Friday with a long-term deal -- out of the backfield should make it easy for Smith to identify and target favorable matchups in pivotal moments.
New offensive coordinator Frank Reich is the perfect play-caller to make it work, given his experience transforming a similarly constructed Eagles offense into a Super Bowl winner nearly a decade ago. The former NFL quarterback helped Carson Wentz and Nick Foles guide an offensive juggernaut, even though the team didn't have a pass catcher reach 825 yards that season. Although the Jets have more talent and potential on the perimeter, Smith and Reich's ability to do more with less bodes well for an offense that needed more firepower and schematic diversity.
If the offensive line continues to progress with former first-round picks Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou excelling as bookend blockers, the Jets could really be cooking with gas. Of course, it will also take the interior trio of Dylan Parham, Josh Myers and Joe Tippmann to truly create a fortress in front of Smith. If the group jells, the Jets' aerial attack will perfectly complement a downhill rushing game featuring Hall and Braelon Allen.
3) Aaron Glenn in full
While Glenn did not call plays in 2025, the ultra-aggressive defensive architect will in his second season in an attempt to elevate a unit that struggled under former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. It appeared contrasting philosophies between Glenn and Wilks led to a disjointed final product.
With Glenn taking on play-calling duties, the Jets have a clear identity that should mesh with the personnel brought in to play a more aggressive brand of football. As a bold play-caller who wants to bring heat with sticky man coverage behind it, Glenn has put together a collection of veterans and newbies with the skills to make his X's and O's come to life.
In the secondary, the additions of Fitzpatrick, Wright and Ponds will allow the Jets to challenge receivers and quarterbacks with a more aggressive approach at the line of scrimmage. Wright and Ponds possess the skills to shadowbox with receivers. Also, they flash the instincts and awareness to make late-reaction plays on the ball. With Fitzpatrick capable of playing from the deep middle or dropping down between the hashes as a robber, the Jets can utilize split-safety or single-high coverages to shrink passing windows available to quarterbacks.
The Jets' communication should improve, too, with a veteran traffic cop directing the action from the linebacker position. Davis will eliminate some of the mental mistakes that plagued the unit a season ago. He brings an infectious, physical style of play that will lead to a rougher and tougher defense.
The stylistic makeover extended to the defensive front with a massive nose tackle (former Titan T’Vondre Sweat) and a few high-energy guys (Ossai, Bailey and Onyemata) joining Harrison Phillips to create a more disruptive front. As Glenn schemes up ways to create one-on-one matchups or run-through chances for his top players to produce negative plays (sacks, tackles for loss and turnovers), I expect the Jets' revamped defensive lineup to mesh with his vision of creating chaos for opponents.
