Familiar Faces May Not Be Back in 2014 for the NY Giants

Feb 23, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Say goodbye while you still can to your favorite veteran players currently on the roster, because come training camp… they may not be in New York any longer.

The Giants have a whopping 27 free-agents this off-season with only about $16 million to spend, this prompted NY Giants GM Jerry Reese to state that a roster overhaul may be in store for this off-season as he will let veterans test free-agency.

"“It’s going to be a significant difference on our roster,” Reese said. “It’s going to be a lot of young players. And obviously, we’ll go into free agency and see where we can find some guys that can fill some holes for us. And we’ll take our picks in the draft.”"

Even long time Giant Justin Tuck, who accumulated 11 sacks late in the season by picking on struggling San Diego and Washington offensive linemen, will probably not be back. The Giants do not have the money to sign him to the big contract that he and his agent think he deserves.

"“Tuck is going to go to the market and see what’s out there for him,” Reese said. “I had talks with all those guys, and free agency being free agency, that means you go out and try to get as much money as you can. I’m always in favor for guys getting as much money as you can. And Justin’s going to see what the market is. We’d love to have him back but we’ll see where it goes.”"

Obviously just a few years removed from their last Super Bowl run, Reese had playoff expectations for a 7-9 team that hopelessly under-performed last season, which included losing the first 6 games.

"“There’s obviously going to be some significant changes on our roster,” he added. “If you can give yourself a chance early on and hang in there, you can have a chance to get in the playoffs. We expect to do that.”"

This off-season is going to be a critical one in determining the club’s direction for the future, and Reese is committed to making this team better than it was last year. He has two years to get this team back into playoff caliber mode, because after that his franchise QB and head coach might not get an extension; if the next two years feature the same (or worse) flaws the team showed last year.