NY Giants free agency targets: Devin Funchess edition

The NY Giants are lacking a big-bodied outside receiving threat and Devin Funchess is one of the only young players on the open market that fits the profile.

Initially a tight end during his first two seasons in college at Michigan, Devin Funchess is in about the 90th percentile in terms of wide receiver size in the NFL. While Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Darius Slayton all possess their own strengths, the NY Giants need to provide Daniel Jones with a legitimate red-zone target.

When healthy, Funchess can certainly provide that. After missing just three games over his first four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, the wideout got injured at the worst possible time while playing under a one-year prove-it deal with the Colts in 2019.

To say the one-year marriage didn’t work out for either side would be putting it mildly. Funchess made a wise decision to try to up his value by playing with Andrew Luck and the explosive Colts offense, but that all changed when Luck stunningly announced his retirement before the season started.

Indianapolis invested $10M in the 6’4, 230 LB receiver and got just one game and 3 catches for 35 yards out of it before Funchess broke his collarbone and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Still just 25-years-old, there should be some sort of warm market still out there for Funchess as the free-agent wide receiver class is very weak this offseason. The NY Giants currently have about as many needs as any other team in the NFL, so using a high – or even mid-round – draft pick on a wide receiver seems unlikely.

If Funchess is looking for another one-year deal, or a multi-year contract that focuses heavily on incentives, Big Blue should be in play for his services. Adding the humungous wideout would set the Giants up with a versatile receiving core that has a player for each role.

Jason Garrett loves to have a big receiver to place on the outside and Funchess has shown the ability to win on contested balls downfield — a big part of Garrett’s offense, as well. The major concern about Funchess – other than last year’s injury – is that he regressed heavily from year three to year four.

The young receiver seemed destined to take over as Carolina’s main attraction for years to come after exploding for 63 catches, 840 yards, and 8 touchdowns. However, his numbers slipped to just 44-549-4 in his walk year.

Should the NY Giants make a run at him, Funchess would figure to pair well with Daniel Jones – who excels at throws outside the numbers – and is one of the better low risk, high reward options on the market.

Hypothetical offer: 2 years/$12M ($5M GTD, up to $18M w/ incentives