With the NY Giants set to have more than $50 million in cap space this offseason, Joe Schoen is going to be looking far and wide to bring in top talent. However, before Schoen worries about bringing in free agents from other teams, he must worry about re-signing certain players on the Giants who are in need of a new contract.
These players have been huge for the team’s success all season long and are deserving of a fresh deal with the Giants. Whether it be due to their leadership ability, or their production on the field, Schoen has to do his best to bring these four players back:
4. WR Sterling Shepard
While Sterling Shepard has sadly become very injury prone, the role as a mentor and leader he plays on this Giants team cannot be underestimated, hence why Schoen must bring him back. The Giants receiving core as it currently stands is quite horrid to look at. If Shepard can remain healthy, he will undoubtedly play a pivotal role going into next season.
Considering that Shepard took a pay cut at the beginning of this season and even knocked a year off of his current deal, it is likely that he enjoys being in New York regardless of how much he is being paid.
Shepard likely won’t cost too much to retain considering his injury history, and if the Giants have the opportunity to bring him back on a short-term deal, they should not hesitate. Shep has been a fan favorite in recent years, and we know several Giants fans would not be happy to see him go.
Even if the Giants do not wish to bring Shepard back, they should also consider retaining Darius Slayton, who has done a very solid job considering the expectations surrounding him early in the season.
3. OL Nick Gates
Since returning from the gruesome leg injury he suffered in Week 2 of the 2021 season, Nick Gates has played quite well for the Giants. Considering that the Giants will likely be losing Jon Feliciano this offseason, a player the team should not re-sign, Schoen should do his best work to bring Gates back on a team-friendly deal.
The 2023 interior offensive line free agency class is rather weak, alongside this, the Giants have several other positions they need to address through the draft, so it may be a good idea to just simply bring Gates back.
This season, Gates has the second-highest pass blocking grade out of all the Giants offensive linemen. In addition to this, he has had moments of excellence in the run game. Gates is far from perfect, however he has played in just six games since returning from injury and is 27 years old – he still has so much room to improve.
Compared to the rest of the Giants interior offensive line, Gates is by far the best player and arguably always has been. We can only imagine how well he’d been playing had he not suffered that terrible injury.
2. S Julian Love
After a couple of mediocre seasons in the Big Apple, Julian Love has finally broken out and looks like a Pro-Bowl caliber player. While he still has plenty of room to improve, the newest Giants captain must be on the roster next season.
Through 13 games played in 2022, Love has racked up 90 combined tackles, two interceptions, 26 stops, and two pass breakups. Love certainly has room to grow as a coverage safety, but he has certainly made a noticeable jump this fall.
What may be the most impressive stat about Love is that with all 90 of his tackles, he’s only registered three missed tackles all season. Love’s ability as a tackler for his size and frame is truly special.
According to Spotrac.com, Love has a market value of around $8 million a season. If the Giants have the chance to pay him this for the foreseeable future, they should capitalize on it. Love is only going to get better from here.
1. QB Daniel Jones
Forget whether or not Daniel Jones is a franchise quarterback or not – there are so many reasons as to why letting Jones go this offseason is not wise. For starters, the Giants are currently set to pick 23rd overall, meaning there is a good chance that no QB will be worth picking in that range.
While there are some potential studs like Anthony Richardson, is it really worth gambling the future of the team when there are so many other needs to be filled? The Giants have possibly the worst LB core in the NFL, putrid receivers, and a weak secondary. We really don’t think it would be wise to draft a QB with how solid Jones has played this season.
Jones has been playing rather well this season considering how dreadful everything is around him. Imagine if the Giants use the cap space and draft picks they have to put a competent offense around him?
Maybe the Giants can let Jones go for a cheaper option like Teddy Bridgewater, but he is really the only feasible option this offseason that would cost less than Jones. It really wouldn’t make any sense at all to let Jones go to bring in a free agent that would likely be worse than the 25 year old.
To put it simply, there are far too many issues on the Giants to worry about other than QB. There’s no reason to jeopardize the structure of the team to draft a rookie who may or may not pan out. In our eyes, the G-Men and Schoen should stick with Danny Dimes.
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