Polarizing speculation surrounded the Giants leading up to the trade deadline.

Would they be buyers for a wide receiver, despite being 2-7? Would they sell off any star veterans for significant draft capital, or at least sell former draft busts for pennies on the dollar?

As it turned out when the deadline passed on Tuesday at 4 p.m., the Giants did … nothing.

Joe Schoen reportedly made calls to teams on all three of the aforementioned possibilities, but nothing materialized. That’s a cold reality if you’re a Giants fan, no matter which direction you thought they should go.

Inactivity signals a franchise that is in tough spot — not equipped to pay a hefty price for a star player, nor tear it all down with coaching and front office jobs on the line.

Even struggling players such as offensive lineman Evan Neal and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, who clearly have no future on the team, have been so bad that other teams weren’t willing to give the Giants anything of value.

I was of the belief that ideally the Giants should have acquired a wide receiver with at least two years left on their contract. That would not only have given a big boost to quarterback Jaxson Dart and the banged-up offense in the present, but also helped build the roster into the future.

Clearly the price was going to be too high once the Jaguars acquired Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who is set to become a free agent after the season, for a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.

The Dolphins reportedly wanted a first-round pick and more for Jaylen Waddle. That made sense because the 26-year-old is on a reasonably priced contract through 2028, but considering the Giants currently hold the No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft, that was an awfully steep price.

It’s also unclear if Schoen even had a stamp of approval from ownership to make such a bold move. Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are likely on the hot seat after steering the franchise to a 2-7 start for the third straight year, and if John Mara is leaning toward firing them at the end of the season, why would he empower Schoen to trade away a first-round pick?

And even if Schoen and Daboll are on the outs, there was little reason for the Giants to trade valuable veterans such as Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Lawrence is currently the league’s 11th-highest paid defensive lineman through 2027, so he’s a player they’d still prefer to build around. Thibodeaux is locked into the 2026 season on his fifth-year option worth $14.8 million, which gives the Giants time to decide if he fits into their future plans.

But the real shame in all of this is how badly Schoen’s draft picks have flopped. Neal and cornerback Deonte Banks are former first-round picks that no one wants for any draft picks. Same with Hyatt, a former third-rounder.

The Giants are simply stuck with them until they get cut or leave in free agency.

Obviously the 2024 draft is too early to gauge, but there don’t appear to be any stars from Schoen’s first three draft classes besides Malik Nabers (2023 first-rounder). Even Thibodeaux has been a highly serviceable but not great player considering he was the No. 5 overall pick in 2022.

That’s just another reason that Mara will be hard-pressed to bring Schoen back for the final year of his contract. No one should trust him to build this roster properly through the draft. He’s had four years to do so, and yet the Giants remain an abysmal product that flops the moment that injuries strike.

So perhaps it was appropriate that the Giants stayed quiet at the trade deadline. This regime has virtually nothing left to say, anyway, if this season doesn’t get turned around.

For Schoen and Daboll, it’s time to put up or shut up with what they’ve assembled.

Greg Johnson covers the New York Giants and NFL for MediaNews Group. Reach him at gjohnson@trentonian.com.

Giants Gameday

The Game: Giants (2-7) at Bears (5-3), Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill., 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Line: Chicago by 4.5

History: The Bears lead the all-time series, 36-25-2. The Giants won the most recent meeting in 2022 in East Rutherford, but the Bears won the previous three matchups.

Key Matchups:

Giants RT Jermaine Eluemunor/Marcus Mbow vs. Bears DE Montez Sweat: It will either be Eluemunor coming off an injury or the rookie Mbow — both not ideal — against a one-time Pro Bowler. Sweat leads the Bears with four sacks and seven QB hits.

Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson vs. Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson: Robinson is fresh off a season-high nine catches vs. the Niners but with only 46 yards. He should have more opportunities for big plays and yards after the catch against a Chicago defense that has allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game.

Giants defensive line vs. Bears offensive line: The Giants need to collectively play better around Brian Burns. He leads the NFL with 11 sacks, but the trio of Dexter Lawrence/Kayvon Thibodeaux/Abdul Carter have only 3.5 combined. The Bears feature a middle-of-pack offensive line but have given up only 14 sacks, the 25th-fewest in the league.

Giants run defense vs. Bears RB Kyle Monangai: The Giants are yielding the second-most rushing yards per game (150). Monangai, a Rutgers product, ran wild for 176 yards in his first career start vs. the Bengals last week and might get the nod against with D’Andre Swift questionable.

Injury Report:

Giants: OUT: CB Paulson Adebo (knee), C John Michael Schmitz (shin), K Graham Gano (neck), WR Beaux Collins (ankle), DL Chauncey Golston (neck), ILB Darius Muasau (ankle); DOUBTFUL: OLB Victor Dimukeje (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: RT Jermaine Eluemunor (pec), S Jevón Holland (knee).

Bears: OUT: WR Jahdae Walker (concussion), DB Josh Blackwell (concussion), LB T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring), DL Dominique Robinson (ankle); QUESTIONABLE: RB D’Andre Swift (groin/personal reasons), TE Durham Smythe (calf).

Giant Facts: The Giants’ 11-32 record over the last three seasons is worse than every team besides the Titans, who are 10-33. … Jaxson Dart was sacked eight times in his first three starts (2-1 record) and 11 times in his last three starts (0-3 record). … The Giants have allowed the fourth-most yards per game (382.1) this season.

The Prediction: Giants 24, Bears 23