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Sports are a way of life in North Jersey. From academia to professionals, everyone has a deep interest.
Unfortunately, both of our NFL teams haven’t had much success in recent years, and significant changes are on the horizon. But our baseball, basketball and varsity teams are on the rise.
Here’s what to expect in 2025.
- NEW YORK GIANTS: Who will be the starting quarterback next season? This is the question that hangs over the entire franchise. The Giants have essentially had two players in this role for over two decades (Eli Manning and Daniel Jones), and, despite another handful of spot starts due to a failed bench (Manning) and injury (Jones ), this truly represents a new chapter. . All eyes will be on April’s NFL draft, where the Giants could choose to select Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion, or Miami’s Cam Ward. Could there be a curve, and will this regime (general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll) still be the one to make that decision? When you have a season as bad as the Giants’ 2024, the winds of change tend to blow through the Meadowlands.
- NEW YORK JETS: There will be a new regime in 2025, as head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were fired during a disappointing 2024 season. Owner Woody Johnson must find the right direction to end the longest playoff drought (14 seasons) among the four major North American professional sports leagues. When it comes to the quarterback position, Aaron Rodgers, 41, has shown that he is far from his MVP level of years past. Whether it’s with their first-round pick or another veteran player, it’s clear the Jets will have a new starting quarterback in 2025.
- NEW YORK YANKEE: After a 15-year drought, the Yankees returned to the World Series in 2024, and they will reload for another try this summer. Manager Aaron Boone has no contractual guarantees beyond 2025 as he enters his eighth season as manager, with the Yanks still seeking their first world championship since 2009, so the pressure is back on on Boone, general manager Brian Cashman and captain Aaron Judge and company to produce another long October run.
- NEW YORK FOOD: The Mets experienced the best possible scenario during the 2024 season, using a series of successful one-year contracts to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015. Now, with the aspiration of compete with the best teams in Major League Baseball and with the addition of Juan Soto, the Mets are determined to accomplish their quest to consistently contend for the World Series. It’s the new normal for the franchise led by owner Steve Cohen and team president David Stearns.
- NEW YORK KNICKS: Expect the Knicks to be serious contenders when the NBA playoffs begin this spring. They’re already one of the most explosive teams in the league, with a defense that’s improving — and will continue to improve when Mitchell Robinson, an elite rim protector, returns from injury. So expect Jalen Brunson and the Knicks to secure a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference and make some noise in the playoffs, with an appearance in the conference finals, at least, a reasonable expectation.
- RUTGERS FOOTBALL: This is going to be a year of transition for the Scarlet Knightswhich will see many of its most influential players leave to pursue the NFL. Rutgers will have holes to fill on both sides of the ball, and that’s where the experience some of its younger players gained last season will be beneficial. The Scarlet Knights also face a varied schedule in 2025, with games against powerhouses Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State.