Review 8 hours ago

How David Bailey picked the wrong New York rival to call out on night one

Bailey's Giants callout backfires immediately.

Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey was taken with the second overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft Thursday night, becoming the first defensive player selected in this year's class.

The New York Jets made him the centerpiece of a defensive rebuild they badly needed. In one of his first public moments as a Jet, he decided to pick a fight.

When asked which team he most looked forward to "beating up on," he went with the New York Giants.

NFL reporter Dov Kleiman shared the clip on X, with Bailey saying exactly that.

"I look forward to beating up on the Giants, probably."

The scheduling reality, however, tells a different story.

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His first NFL year won't include a regular-season game against the Giants

The Jets play in the AFC East. The Giants are in the NFC East. Under the NFL's conference rotation, the two teams play each other in the regular season once every four years.

The next scheduled regular-season matchup between New York's two franchises isn't until 2027.

Bailey will be approaching the end of his rookie deal by then.

Bailey may simply have been tapping into that shared city identity rather than thinking about any conference schedule. It happens, just that it landed awkwardly, and it's going to follow him around in the clips section.

The Jets have a full AFC schedule to deal with before 2027 shows up. Buffalo, Miami and New England are the teams he is going to be playing consistently and often. The Giants can just wait.

Bailey is a legitimate pass rusher, and the Jets needed him badly on their defensive line. His production at Texas Tech was undeniable proof, which made him a clear top-three talent.

When 2027 finally comes and the Jets-Giants matchup shows up on the calendar, many will pull this back out. Count on it.