Isaiah Simmons trade grades: How did the Giants do in deal with Cardinals?

Voters in BBV poll overwhelmingly approve of the deal

New York Giants’ fans appear to be ecstatic about the team’s acquisition of linebacker Isaiah Simmons from the Arizona Cardinals. Seventy-seven percent (5,354) of 6,988 voters in our poll gave the trade an ‘A’.

The Giants acquired the 2020 No. 8 overall pick from the Cardinals in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Here is a sampling of some of the comments from our story reporting the trade:

There are more than 1,000 comments in the post. Some love the trade. Some aren’t so sure. If you haven’t scanned through them, be my guest.

Here are the full results from our poll:

Following are grades from a couple of national sources.

CBS Sports gave the trade a ‘B’ from a Giants’ perspective:

The trade does not move the needle in either direction very much. Simmons is an intriguing fit for Martindale’s defensive goals but he has proven little to this point in his career. His skill set allows New York to match different personnel groups.

Walter Football gave the Giants an ‘A’:

Isaiah Simmons had many supporters in the draft community when he entered the NFL, as many people fell in love with his incredible athleticism. Some of Charlie Campbell’s sources, however, questioned if Simmons had a natural position in the pros. Those concerns came to fruition, as the Cardinals struggled to utilize Simmons properly. Simmons has struggled to cover and tackle thus far in his career.

Despite this, I love this trade for the Giants. Their defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, loves to blitz, and that’s the one thing Simmons has done extremely well in the NFL. Simmons figures to be an intriguing asset in Martindale’s system as a pass rusher. Plus, it’s not out of the question that Simmons could be a late bloomer. He’s still just 25, so there still might be some untapped potential.

The Giants clearly won this trade. Even if Simmons fails for them, they’ve risked nothing by acquiring him. The Cardinals, on the other hand, should have figured out how to get the most out of Simmons. I’d rather have him than some meaningless seventh-round pick.