In some ways, Malik Nabers has not really, truly stepped onto the grand stage of the New York-New Jersey market.

He played 15 games for the Giants in his rookie season. That counts. It means he put down a foundation for his NFL development, and after a record-setting debut, he set a high standard for lofty expectations.

In a sense, though, Nabers has not truly experienced what it means to be a part of the area’s sports landscape when things are really cooking, when enthusiasm is rising and there is a palpable feeling of energy and excitement coursing through the fans and players alike.

The Giants won three games in 2024, and Nabers played in two of those victories. He missed two games as a rookie dealing with a concussion. In the games he appeared in, he twice walked off the field as a winner and 13 times on the losing end. By Halloween, Nabers and the Giants were 2-6. By Thanksgiving evening, they were 2-10. By Christmas, they were 2-13. There was no semblance of anything promising after their 2-3 start and it all weighed on Nabers, who expressed plenty of frustration dealing with the worst losing stretch of his football career.