Better days are coming we’re always being told, but for New York Giants fans, it’s going to take a lot of bonafide proof for them to start believing in their team again.
That effort will begin in March when the league’s new year begins with free agency. Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that the Giants should be in prime position to bolster their roster with some established young veterans.
If Joe Schoen gets a fourth year as Giants general manager, he’ll have plenty of money to spend on a roster in dire need of upgrades. And if Schoen gets fired, he’ll leave his replacement a much better cap situation than the one he inherited from Dave Gettleman in 2022.
The Giants are projected to have $57.3 million in cap space next year. That’s a highly fluid number at this point, but it’s the 14th-highest projection in the league, so they’re well-positioned to spend.
The Giants are actually set in many areas — linebacker, running back, safety, wide receiver, tight end, and yes, even the offensive line to some degree.
Naturally, they can augment and improve those groups through the draft and free agency — and they probably will — but they can surgically add a few big-ticket free agents to put them back on the right track.
If Schoen has another solid draft, the Giants just might turn this thing around for good. But…first things first.
Duggan points out immediately that the Giants do not have a quarterback under contract for next season. At least not at the moment. All three of their quarterbacks (Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, and Tim Boyle) will see their current contracts expire after this season.
DeVito will not exactly be free to sign with any team, however. He will be an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) by virtue of not having three accrued NFL seasons under this belt and the Giants will have first dibs on his services.
With the Giants looking at a possible top-3 pick in the draft, they could be in play for either Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward. That should answer the quarterback question, but if they don’t land either and are staring down at Colorado’s everyman, Travis Hunter, they might just take him and/or trade the pick outright and obtain a quarterback another way.
In free agency, Sam Darnold figures to be the top name, but he’ll be sought after by several teams. He might just steer clear of Northern New Jersey for obvious reasons.
Schoen will likely address the offensive line again. He hasn’t gotten it right yet and is determined to do so. He has the money and bandwidth to go down that road even with over $56 million committed to the group in 2025.
Cornerback is another unit Schoen will likely target. The Giants have been focusing on this the past two drafts and will probably continue to do so.
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