Zach Wilson and the NY Jets sent the Giants into fire sale mode

The Giants are selling...and it's because of the Jets

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Leonard Williams / Bryan Bennett/GettyImages

Zach Wilson and the NY Jets emerged victorious against the New York Giants in Week 8, sending their crosstown rivals spiraling into a 2-6 record and effectively ending their season in the process.

The Giants seemingly confirmed their expected fire sale when the team shipped former Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Williams is one of the cornerstones of the Giants' defense, but with his team sitting at 2-6 and his contract expiring at the end of the season, it didn't make much sense for New York to keep him around.

The deal is honestly a haul for the Giants, who took on a large portion of Williams' contract to recoup serious draft capital. Still, it should be noted that the Giants are likely only in this position because of what happened on Sunday.

The NY Jets are to blame for the Leonard Williams trade

If the Giants hold on to beat the Jets and improve to 3-5, they might consider keeping Williams. Instead, they suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in franchise history and are now effectively sellers at the trade deadline.

The Giants had a 99.9 percent win probability with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Jets. A missed field goal followed by a complete defensive meltdown forced overtime, where the Jets were able to come away with the victory.

Wilson was far from on Sunday, but his late-game heroics were a big reason why the Jets emerged with a much-needed victory. In just 24 seconds (and with no timeouts), Wilson was able to lead his team down the field and into field-goal range.

If Graham Gano makes that field goal, Leonard Williams is likely still on the Giants. If the Jets take one second longer to snap the ball at the end of regulation, Leonard Williams probably isn't traded.

It just goes to show how fickle the sport of football can be. And it also shows how two organizations are headed in completely opposite directions.

While the Jets are now 4-3 and in the thick of a playoff race, the Giants have quarterback issues, a coaching staff under fire, and are unloading assets in a year most expected them to compete for the postseason.

The Jets, on the other hand, are likely going to be buyers at the deadline and are above .500 entering Week 9 with a backup quarterback and a roster depleted by injuries.

The Giants have given up on their season, and they have the Jets to thank for that.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.