“Rookies suck, too”: Giants legend Tiki Barber slams fan suggesting tanking season for higher draft pick

Tiki Barber had a magnificent 10-year career with the New York Giants after the organization selected him in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft.

On Monday on WFAN's "Evan and Tiki" radio show, he slammed a fan's suggestion that the franchise should have tanked for a better pick in the 2025 NFL draft:

"You don't try to lose, dude. I wish you had called earlier, but that's the most ridiculous phone call I've ever heard in my life. No player or coach is ever going to try to lose a football game. And if someone calls this station again and says they should lose a game, I'm hanging up on you and banning you from the station. It is the stupidest, most ridiculous thing I've ever freaking heard.

"So, stop saying, 'Lose games. Lose games so you can draft higher.' The draft is not a guarantee. Rookies suck, too, by the way. So forget thinking you're going to change your franchise by losing games. It doesn't work that way, because you end up firing people, everybody has a negative connotation about the organization, free agents don't come. And it all starts because you want to lose one game."

Barber added that wanting to lose one game will lead to wanting to lose even more games. It is no surprise that a former player would be against building a losing culture, particularly as he understands that not every player is guaranteed to return to the franchise.

The Giants hold the third pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Tiki Barber on board with Giants adding Aaron Rodgers

Tiki Barber recently weighed in on the speculation that the New York Giants could sign Aaron Rodgers, according to Sports Illustrated:

"I remember when you first brought (Rodgers to the Giants) up, it was absurd. And the more you talked about it, the more it made sense. Because currently, we know the situation with the Giants. They do not have a quarterback... so if you were going to draft or find a free agent, you might as well go after Aaron Rodgers."

Rodgers has been linked to the Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. The 41-year-old returned from a torn Achilles in 2024, throwing for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 63.0% of his pass attempts. He ranked eighth in the NFL in passing yards and tied for seventh in passing touchdowns.