The New York Giants reportedly weren’t interested in signing current Rams LT Andrew Whitworth before 2017 season.
The New York Giants seriously missed out on a dominant left tackle in Andrew Whitworth before their abysmal 2017 season.
Per a report from Ryan Dunleavy of nj.com, then-free agent Whitworth had Big Blue as his first destination. However, former Giants general manager Jerry Reese just wasn’t interested at the time.
“Just being completely honest: That was a place that my wife and I were very interested in going,” Whitworth said. “We even told our agent that we would love to hear if there was an option there. We were told there wasn’t any interest there. It wasn’t something that was ever a viable option for us.”
Whitworth would go on to sign a three-year, $36 million contract and become a captain for the Los Angeles Rams. The 37-year old will now play in the Super Bowl this coming Sunday.
The Giants instead went with former tackle Ereck Flowers for the 2017 season, where they only won three games. It became the most disappointing season in franchise history for Big Blue.
Then in the following offseason, the Giants believed they made an upgrade at the left tackle position. They made former Patriots tackle Nate Solder the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL. Four years, $62 million for a guy that only helped boost their win total by two games from 2017 to 2018. Just goes to show a huge mistake made by Reese two years ago, one of the many mistakes made during his tenure as the general manager for the Giants.
Whitworth is a four-time Pro Bowler and could’ve ended his career in New York after spending 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. And although he is 37, Whitworth embraces being the oldest at his position in the NFL.
“To be the oldest offensive lineman in the league and have the opportunity to play in this game is tremendous,” Whitworth stated. “It’s something I’ve worked 13 years for.”
He will now look to knock off Tom Brady and the New England Patriots Sunday in Super Bowl 53.
