Entering an offseason with $44+ million in cap space and plenty of holes on the roster, NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen is set to have a very busy offseason. There are several players who were on the team this year who are in need of a new contract heading into next season.
As successful as this past campaign was for the Giants, there are still plenty of positions in need of an upgrade, which means we likely won’t see some players returning next season. In this piece, we take a look at four upcoming free agents who Schoen shouldn’t even think about bringing back:
4. OL Jon Feliciano
Following a rather rough 2022 season, it seems very likely that Jon Feliciano will not be returning to New York next season. This makes sense for a lot of reasons. For starters, Feliciano simply isn’t that great and honestly was a liability for a good portion of the year. Alongside this, the Giants already have Nick Gates, who has more experience with the team and won’t cost too much to bring back.
Gates may have played guard for the majority of this season, but his best games for NY have come at the center position and the Giants should take advantage of that. Feliciano might not cost much to retain either, but considering how many opportunities there are to improve his position this offseason, it will undoubtedly be worth it to just let him walk.
Through 568 pass blocking snaps, Feliciano allowed three sacks, 22 pressures, and racked up six penalties, earning a pass-blocking grade of 65.9 per PFF. In terms of run-blocking, Feliciano was even worse, earning a grade of 56.4.
With plenty of offensive linemen set to hit the free agent market this offseason, the Giants will have plenty of opportunities to upgrade the interior offensive line while not breaking the bank. For us, Feliciano shouldn’t be back.
3. P Jamie Gillan
After a disappointing campaign with Riley Dixon at punter, many NY Giants fans were hoping the front office had found their next guy at the position with Jamie Gillan. However, just one season in and it really seems like his time in East Rutherford could be over.
Gillan wasn’t necessarily bad, but his inconsistency really hurt the Giants at times and it may be better to move on from the 25 year old. While he could still improve and become more reliable, is it worth taking the risk?
There are plenty of good punters available through free agency or the draft this offseason, so the Giants could very easily find Gillan’s replacement. Whether it be his embarrassing play against the Eagles, or his incredibly inconsistent punting, Gillan just simply wasn’t what the Giants were hoping for him to be.
The Giants have been without a consistently good punter for quite some time now and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before they finally luck out in finding their guy. If there’s any GM we trust to finally secure a good punter, its Schoen, so hopefully he proves us right this offseason.
2. WR/PR Richie James
While Richie James may have had the best season of his career in 2022, that does not mean it was necessarily great and considering all the upgrades that could be made at the wide receiver position this offseason, it may be best to let him go.
James caught 57 passes for 569 yards and four touchdowns, which is a rather solid fall and winter on paper, but when you consider some of the crucial drops he posted, alongside his total meltdown as a punt returner against the Seahawks, he definitely wasn’t that good.
The Giants are likely to have a receiving core that features Wan’Dale Robinson, Isaiah Hodgins, a re-signed Darius Slayton, possibly Sterling Shepard too, and some new faces via the NFL draft and free agency.
With all of these very skilled players being in the rotation, alongside new players that could come in, there really won’t be much room for James. With this being the case, and James having a bit of a breakout year last season, he will likely want a similar role, something he might not get again in New York. It’ll be best for the two sides for James to play elsewhere in 2023.
1. LB Jaylon Smith
This should not surprise many people out there, as it was very clear as to how much of a liability Jaylon Smith was for the Giants this season. There is no world in which the front office should even consider bringing him back, especially considering all the chances they have to improve the position.
In 13 games, Smith racked up 85 tackles and one sack. However, watching Smith play showcased how inflated these stats really are. Smith was a liability in coverage, had little-to-no read and react ability and even struggled to make simple tackles at times.
While Schoen didn’t really have much of a choice in regards to who was playing linebacker this season due to lack of depth at the position, this does not change the fact that Smith was awful and the Giants must find a replacement for him going into next fall.
The Giants have really struggled at the linebacker position for years now and it has really hurt the defense. Players like Tae Crowder and Smith have been two of the worst players at LB the last two seasons, yet have seen extensive action for the team. That will all change soon enough. No one wants to see Smith starting for the G-Men next year. He simply can’t come back.
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