Report: Kevin Abrams strong contender to replace Dave Gettleman as Giants GM

Could Giants stay in-house if they need a new general manager?

Assistant GM Kevin Abrams is a strong contender to ascend to the top job should New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman retire or be fired at the end of the season, per a report from CBS Sports.

Jason LaCanfora writes:

“ … Abrams would get strong consideration to replace him. Abrams is viewed by ownership as a very worthy in-house candidate, and this franchise has often looked inward when conducting searches.

“Abrams has a diverse skill set and has worked his way up the football operations ladder dating to Ernie Accorsi’s time running the franchise. Abrams is in his 23rd year with the franchise and has spent the last four as the Vice President of Football Operations. He has been the team’s assistant general manager for the last 20 years.

Abrams has experience in all areas of the organization, from salary cap and negotiations to player evaluations and is very well respected within that franchise and around the NFL. He has a much more analytical and diverse background than Gettleman and a skillset that is more in line with how progressive organizations are viewing the general manager position at this point in time.”

Valentine’s View

LaCanfora’s report does not mean Abrams is definitely getting the job should Gettleman be done at season’s end. It should surprise no one, though, if that is how this turns out.

I am on record a number of times saying I believe the Giants need to cast a wide net in a search for a Gettleman replacement. I recently offered a list of 11 names, mostly with connections to the New England Patriots and head coach Joe Judge,

If the Giants’ search leads them to Abrams it will certainly mortify at least some of the fan base. It would certainly feel like the Giants doing a very Giant-like thing, being loyal and turning to a familiar face to fill an important position.

There is, though, at least one way in which promoting Abrams would make sense. If the Giants, as is expected at this time, are doubling down on Judge as head coach and giving him at least another year to turn the franchise around, Abrams already has a working relationship with the coach and would provide continuity in that sense.

Obviously, considering that the Giants are heading toward a fifth consecutive double-digit loss season, some might be appalled by the idea of continuity.

What we know about Abrams is that he has been part of the Giants’ organization for 23 years. He has worked under Ernie Accorsi, Jerry Reese and Gettleman. We know that he has an extensive salary cap background. We know Abrams served as interim GM between the firing of Reese and hiring of Gettleman, and that he received an interview for the full-time job.

There are things we don’t know.

Does he have real scouting chops? Abrams has added personnel evaluation to his duties in recent years, but from outside it is impossible to know how deeply involved or how good at it he actually is.

How would Abrams change the the organization? LaCanfora wrote that Abrams “has a much more analytical and diverse background than Gettleman and a skillset that is more in line with how progressive organizations are viewing the general manager position.”

What does that mean for the scouting and analytics departments? What does it mean for how much authority over personnel decisions might be ceded to Judge?

We won’t get those answers until, and unless, Abrams gets the job.