The New York Giants came into free agency with almost $80 million in cap space to use to upgrade their roster, we examine and grade their free agent moves.
The New York Giants needed to make a major impact during this year’s NFL free agency period. After going 4-12 last season, which resulted in the team firing head coach Pat Shurmur and starting fresh for the third time in just five years, it was critical for Dave Gettleman to secure impactful free agents in the midst of a rebuilding period.
The Giants were in a prime position to make a splash this offseason with almost $80 million in cap space to spend on impactful free agent upgrades and nine draft picks in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft to further fill voids in their current roster.
The Giants allocated almost $28 million of the $80 million in cap space they had in 2020 to returning players. New York extended fullback Eli Penny ($1.1M), linebacker David Mayo ($3.5M), and picked up the second-year option on backup quarterback Alex Tanney ($1M). Additionally, they placed a franchise designation on defensive lineman Leonard Williams ($16.1M) and placed a second-round tender on kicker Aldrick Rosas ($3.3M).
Given that the projected amount for the draft slots that the Giants currently hold in the 2020 NFL Draft would require them to pay out just north of $12 million to their selections, the team currently is left with around $3 million according to overthecap.com. As a result, the team is likely done making any additional big-name free agent signings.
The Giants did front-load most of the free-agent signings that they made this offseason and stayed clear of signing free agents to anything longer than a three-year contract so far. As a result, they have positioned themselves well financially in the next couple of years and have avoided any massive long-term contracts that would serve as a detriment to their future financial situation.
With that in mind, we take a look at how each of the new free agent acquisitions grades out for the New York Giants. In doing so, we will focus on their fit with the current roster construct and the market value for comparable players that the Giants could have had instead.