Jakob Johnson has been released again. And just before the Munich Game? The Giants have to correct this crazy marketing move as soon as possible. A commentary.

The NFL is a tough business. Almost inhuman. Which is why the New York Giants’ renewed release of Jakob Johnson deserves criticism.

But that’s not the only reason.

Because if the best football league in the world is a business, a numbers-oriented business that is all about marketing, money and profit, the question of Johnson’s departure is all the more pertinent. And even more so is the question of the timing.

It is true that NFL teams generally don’t care about nationality, but only about performance. They look at talent, effort, physicality, and less at whether a player brings more attention to the franchise in the international game.

Jakob Johnson: Emotional rollercoaster ride

But the Giants have been hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and releasing Johnson for weeks now as part of an emotional rollercoaster since the preseason, putting him in the practice squad, releasing him, bringing him back, promoting him to the regular roster, demoting him again, and now releasing him again. At a point in time that raises even more questions about the sense of it than Johnson’s case already does due to the ongoing back and forth.

Munich Game 2024: No events at the Allianz Arena on game day

Johnson knows the business, he can handle it, but why the Giants don’t use his well-known face in Germany to drum up business for the franchise when the Carolina Panthers visit Munich is completely incomprehensible.

It’s crazy.

Because purely on the basis of sporting arguments, the fan base is likely to be very limited at the moment, as the team has been characterized by chronic lack of success for years.

Jakob Johnson: outstanding NFL ambassador

Johnson has always been an excellent ambassador for the sport, who can inspire others to join the NFL, who can convince and entertain. And he can tell the crazy story from his point of view too.

With the fourth NFL game in Germany just around the corner, the Giants are carelessly throwing away excellent sales opportunities. This is negligent in view of the fact that the NFL is always about maximizing profits, and for some time now, it has also been about expansion.

Jakob Johnson: Surprising plot twist?

But who knows, the Americans are way ahead when it comes to staging. Maybe Johnson was let go to increase the tension, to heighten the drama, and next week there will be a surprising plot twist with his return – to the ’53 squad.

Then the Giants would have done everything right from a marketing perspective. It would still be inhumane, though.