While the NY Giants are set to have more than $44 million in cap space this offseason, they have a ton of holes to fill and big time players to re-sign, so it is very likely that we see some interesting moves be made in order to clear up some money for the future.
Some moves, such as cutting Kenny Golladay, are more obvious and won’t harm the team much. However, if Joe Schoen has some huge plans for this offseason, we could very well see some players be released, traded, or cut in order to save some cash for free agency swings.
These four moves may break some fans hearts, but they could be very beneficial to the Giants both this upcoming season, and for the long run:
4. Release cornerback Darnay Holmes
While the Giants are obviously in need of players in the secondary, we would not be all too surprised if Schoen decided to release Darnay Holmes. This wouldn’t be the most heartbreaking thing in the world, but to cut a player in a position of need is not always easy. This move would save the Giants $2.7 million in cap space, allowing them to potentially pursue other, better corners that could be available on the market.
Holmes had a rather disappointing season in 2022 following a promising end to the season the year prior. In 15 games, Holmes racked up 40 combined tackles while allowing 43 catches on 66 targets for 456 yards and one touchdown.
Considering how incredible Holmes looked in training camp, it’s very easy to say he was a massive disappointment this season and needed to be better, especially after Adoree’ Jackson’s injury. Holmes might have made a few nice plays as a tackler, but he just didn’t live up to the expectations for 2022.
3. Letting Julian Love walk
After easily the best season of his career, there is a rather solid chance that the Giants front office decides to let Julian Love walk in free agency. This is because Love could make up $8-$9 million a season with his next contract, and while this isn’t a crippling amount of money, Schoen could look to spend elsewhere.
According to Spotrac.com, Love has a market value of around $7.9 million, which would rank ninth among all free safeties in the league. Love certainly had a great season, but he also has his limitations, especially in coverage. This is where Dane Belton would step in. While he certainly had his struggles, he showed some incredible flashes in coverage during his rookie season.
In 16 games, Love tallied a team-leading 104 combined tackles, two interceptions and one sack. In terms of coverage, Love allowed 34 receptions on 48 targets for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Love may have had a career best season in terms of coverage, but it still left much to be desired. The good thing about this, though, is that Love is just 24 years old and has plenty of room to grow, so if the Giants do decide to bring him back, they could reap the benefits.
Regardless, Love’s contract may simply just be too much to take on considering all the other holes in the Giants roster, so Schoen may have to make an extremely difficult decision and let Love go in order to address other, more important positions.
2. Release Leonard Williams
If Leonard Williams and the NY Giants are unable to come to terms on either a contract extension or restructure, we could very well see Williams being released in order to save a ton of cap space for this offseason.
Releasing Williams would free up around $12 million in cap space, which the Giants could use to address other positions like linebacker or corner. However, this move could cause more harm than good. While it would be nice to put that money towards other positions, we must not underestimate how good Williams is.
In 12 games this past campaign, Williams tallied 41 tackles, four sacks, 23 stops, and 33 pressures, garnering a PFF player grade of 77.9. The duo Williams and Dexter Lawrence form on the defensive line was incredibly fun to watch this season and will be for the future.
Williams may not be worth his $32 million cap hit for 2023, but either restructuring his deal or even extending him will lessen the hit. Williams has stated himself that he is open to restructuring his contract, but at the end of the day his agent doesn’t seem too excited about that idea. If Williams does want to be back, though, he’s got to be open to a pay cut.
1. Not signing Saquon Barkley to a multi-year deal
This is easily the worst-case scenario for this upcoming free agency period, however, it could be more likely than you think. Saquon Barkley could ask for way too much money, as there’s been reports that he’s eyeing between $15-16 million per campaign. Schoen won’t give him that.
Barkley is a fantastic running back, no doubt a top five player at his position, but the discussion surrounding the value of Barkley’s position will always be prominent in today’s NFL. While Spotrac has Barkley’s value at $12.3 million a year, Barkley is believed to want Christian McCaffrey-type money. He also reportedly turned down around $12 million a year during the bye week.
With Barkley, Daniel Jones and Love set to have expiring contracts, alongside Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence, and Xavier McKinney eligible for extensions, the Giants have a lot of spending to do and only so much money to do so with.
Obviously, most fans want to bring all of these players back, especially Barkley, but with all the positional gaps on this Giants roster, spending upwards of $15+ million on a running back may not be the wisest decision to make. We can only hope that Barkley and Schoen can meet in the middle. Otherwise, No. 26 could be playing for a different team next season.
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