Greg Van Roten makes his Big Blue debut

Greg Van Roten returned to the Meadowlands on Saturday to play in the season opener for the New York Giants. The 10-year veteran guard joined Big Blue in the offseason after signing a one-year contract on July 31.

Van Roten, 34, found a passion for playing football at an early age. He started at age 11 playing youth football for the Baldwin Bombers, before eventually moving to Rockville Centre. There, he played quarterback for the South Side Middle School football team for two years, with aspirations to continue the position in high school. He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola from 2005 to 2008, earning All-State left tackle and All-Catholic High School Football League honors. In his senior year, he was captain of the team, after which he went on to play for the Penn Quakers at the University of Pennslyvania in Philadelphia.

In college, he studied at the Wharton School of Business, where he received a Bachelor’s in Economics and Marketing. He was also recognized as an Ivy League All-Conference tackle throughout all four years of his education.

The six-foot-three 305-pound guard signed a rookie deal with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Van Roten would play only 10 games during his two years in Green Bay, before joining the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. After the team released him later that year, he traveled north of the border to play for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. In 2017, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, before finding real opportunity with the Carolina Panthers in 2017.

During his first season with Carolina, he played only 10 games, primarily playing on special teams, and served as a backup center and guard. After signing a two-year extension with the Panthers in 2018, he started in all 16 games at left guard. He was the only Panthers player to play every offensive snap that year. The following season, he would play the first 11 games before a toe injury sent him to injured reserve with only five games remaining til the postseason.

Growing up on Long Island, Van Roten was a lifelong fan of the New York Jets, and after six years in the National Football League, his passion for the game had finally come full circle. In 2020, he signed a three-year contract with Gang Green. He played at right guard through the first 12 games of the season before he was placed on injured reserve. After two years with the Jets, he was released from his contract.

The Buffalo Bills picked up Van Roten during the off-season in 2022, where for the second time in his career would make two postseason game appearances. He was picked up by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, where he had a breakout season as the starting right guard for the team. He played in all 17 games with the Raiders, during which he allowed only five sacks, with zero penalties, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF also rated him seventh overall among all guards last season.

The New York Giants kicked off the 2024 season at MetLife Stadium on Saturday with its season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. The first game was a major flop for Big Blue, as they folded under the Vikings offense to lose 28-6. During the game, quarterback Daniel Jones threw a pair of interceptions, one of which resulted in a touchdown. He went 22-for-42 attempts with no touchdowns.

Even though the Giants looked to be having some trouble right out the gate, there are still 16 more weeks of football remaining until the playoffs.