Giants Reportedly Ignoring Red Flags on DeAndre Baker is Another Indictment of GM Dave Gettleman
By Andrew Gullotta
When Dave Gettleman was hired as New York Giants general manager, he said the franchise was focused on acquiring high-character players. However, it seems that philosophy slipped through the cracks quickly.
According to reports, the Giants knew about DeAndre Baker's off-the-field and character issues. The team's front office was split on choosing the cornerback in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but Gettleman made the executive decision to take the Georgia product despite the concerns.
From sources: Did #Giants miss red flags on DeAndre Baker? No. They ignored them. ‘There was a battle in our building on whether we were going to take DeAndre or not.’ https://t.co/SuE4MoALIL #nyg #NYGiants
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) May 16, 2020
It's possible Gettleman thought Baker would out-play those issues, however, the former Bulldog didn't record an interception in his first season and was among the worst cornerbacks in the league. Now, he's dealing with a significant legal issue that could potentially derail his NFL career if things don't go his way.
It's yet another bad look for Gettleman. His first-round pick is turning out to be a bust on top of being in the news for all the wrong reasons.
I’m not insinuating he is, though the trade is his call and makes it clear he wanted Baker, maybe as a tiebreaker
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) May 16, 2020
Some might say Gettleman has been unnecessarily criticized since taking over the GM role in New York, but scenarios like this certainly don't help his case, especially when you consider his past statements about building a team of high-character players.