Now that is he officially back with the New York Giants, Landon Collins is not afraid to name names.
Speaking with reporters for the first time since re-signing with the Giants, Collins explained the circumstances surrounding his initial departure from the team in 2019 and pinned the blame on ex-Giants GM Dave Gettleman.
“[Gettleman] was my only concern,” he said, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “I want fans to understand that. It wasn’t the Giants. It was Dave Gettleman … I wanted to stay but Gettleman didn’t want me here.”
Collins was a homegrown Giant who was drafted by the team in 2015 and emerged as a cornerstone of their defense. He made three Pro Bowl teams and an All-Pro team in his first four seasons with the Giants but was not re-signed in 2019 by a front office led at the time by Gettleman. Instead, Collins signed elsewhere in the division with Washington, landing a sizable six-year, $84 million contract.
Gettleman, who retired after the 2021 season, had some pretty big foul-ups during his time in charge of the Giants (a four-year period in which the team went a miserable 19-46). Just a few months ago, another one of his mistakes came to light.
For Collins, who returned to the Giants as a practice squad member earlier this month, he had hinted at issues with Gettleman after the Washington move. This time around however, Collins is saying it with his chest.
