The 2024 NFL regular season ended earlier this month, and for 18 teams around the league, the offseason began. The teams that did not qualify for the playoffs are attempting to diagnose their issues, and it’s clear that some franchises have more than others.

The New York Giants finished with a 3-14 record this season, and change is on the way. They’ve already parted ways with former franchise quarterback Daniel Jones, and the end of Brian Daboll’s tenure could come at any point.

2024 was a miserable season for the New York Giants, and an anecdote from a new story on the team’s campaign sheds some light on the way certain players were treated by the front office.

An article from ESPN’s Jordan Raanan goes in-depth on what went wrong for the Giants this season, and it points to remarks from general manager Joe Schoen during contract negotiations with a player.

The Giants wanted cornerback Nick McCloud to take a pay cut, despite being a starter and signing a one-year deal as a restricted free agent before the season.

McCloud was willing to remain with the team, but he wanted to stay on the deal that he initially signed.

Multiple players say that Schoen was so upset during negotiations, that he reportedly told McCloud’s representatives “Don’t pay October’s rent, all right? As soon as I can replace him, I’m going to replace him. I’m not [expletive]-ing around.”

McCloud would go on to play in four more games – all starts – before being cut by the Giants in early November. He then signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a part of their practice squad, then eventually moved to the active roster.

Schoen and the front office appeared to have lost the locker room by cutting McCloud, who Raanan says was a well-liked player among his teammates. The Giants were also 2-7 when he was cut, adding more stress and turmoil to a team that had little hope of turning the season around.

The Giants now have the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, and all signs point to them selecting a quarterback. We’ll see how things go in April, but for now it appears that morale is at an all-time low in New York.