NY Giants free agency targets: Connor McGovern edition
The NY Giants have had a hole at center for years now. Signing Connor McGovern in free agency could take care of the long-standing problem.
It’s no secret that the NY Giants offensive line is in shambles, and has been for quite some time. One of the main reasons for the inconsistent play has been the lack of a capable center. While the draft certainly presents an opportunity to land a center for the future, signing Connor McGovern in free agency needs to be examined this offseason.
After coming into the league as a fifth-round draft pick out of Missouri in 2016, McGovern worked his way up from not playing as a rookie to becoming a solid starter with the Broncos. Initially a guard, McGovern upped his value when he slid over to center in a pinch for Denver in 2018 and in turn began to excel.
His positive play at the position led the team to pencil him in as the starter for the 2019 season and the results were more than encouraging. One of McGovern’s best attributes is his ability to get to the second level as a run blocker which he’s able to succeed at due to his above-average athleticism.
McGovern has rightly been credited as a key component in the resurgence of the Broncos’ running game that has seen Phillip Lindsay run wild all over the NFL over the past two seasons. The rushing unit has finished in the top half of the league in each of the past two NFL campaigns.
2019 saw McGovern blossom into an above-average pass blocker as well, as the fourth-year pro allowed just one sack and didn’t commit a single penalty in 16 starts. Compared to the type of negligence the NY Giants have seen on their offensive line, that type of production would be very welcomed.
Next. 10 Worst moves of the Dave Gettleman era. dark
The question for Big Blue becomes what is McGovern’s value on the open market, and should the team be willing to pay it? Upgrading from Jon Halapio is an absolute must this offseason, and without knowing the team’s draft plans, McGovern needs to be seriously considered at any contract level below $10M APY.
Over the cap pegs McGovern’s value at $8.8M based off of his 2019 play, and that’s a number that could surely work for Big Blue. The rest of the free-agent center crop is especially weak this year, so McGovern and his agent will be working from a position of strength.
Hypothetical offer: 5 years/$42M ($25M GTD)