Few, if any, teams have more pressure to succeed next season than the New York Giants. More specifically, it's time to put up or shut up for the club's general manager, Joe Schoen.
Schoen ostensibly knows he's facing a make-or-break 2026 campaign. That's why we saw him work diligently to make the splashiest head coaching hire of the offseason by landing Baltimore Ravens legend John Harbaugh. Nevertheless, finding the right leader is only step one of the Giants' return to relevancy.
Now, Schoen must equip Harbaugh with a viable roster. Bringing in talent is helpful, but sometimes, so too is addition by subtraction. With that in mind, the Giants' front office must move off the four players mentioned below.
Giants GM Joe Schoen has no business letting these four players return to NY in 2026
James Hudson, OT
The Hudson experiment failed spectacularly as quickly as it began. New York brought him in last March for offensive tackle insurance, but instead got a liability. He followed up his brutal Giants debut with a straight-up horror show in Week 2, and that was pretty much all she wrote.
Hudson didn't take another offensive rep until the Giants' final game of 2025, when he logged just a single snap, and for good reason. His 92.6 pass-blocking efficiency rating across two starts for them ranked 191st out of 200 linemen during that period ($). Pair that with minimal special teams contributions, and it's easy to see why New York should consider him expendable.
New York can create roughly $5.4 million in cap savings while leaving behind approximately $2.3 million by cutting Hudson. His on-field efforts, or lack thereof, make the financial relief worthwhile.
Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DT
Nunez-Roches, who turns 33 in July, is set to become an unrestricted free agent. His projected annual market value of $4.7 million (h/t Spotrac) is palatable for a useful rotational pass rusher like him. Nevertheless, the Giants have a promising young in-house alternative who's ready to take on a bigger role: Darius Alexander.
There were growing pains, but Alexander took notable strides down the stretch of his rookie season. He showed enough for the Giants to be interested in seeing more of him. Be that as it may, increased usage often comes at the expense of others, which in this case is Nunez-Roches.
Alexander amassed 11 tackles (three for loss), four quarterback hits and three sacks across the Giants' last six contests. This is a classic "it's not you, it's me" situation.
Evan Neal, OG
Big Blue Nation has been bracing for Neal's inevitable departure for quite some time. However, this go-round, it counts, because his contract will expire in roughly a month — and there's no indication the Giants will re-sign him.
Neal has been one of the biggest busts in the Giants' illustrious franchise history since being selected No. 7 overall in the 2022 draft. He missed this entire season, both as a healthy scratch and due to a hamstring injury. Put two and two together, and we know how this story ends: with an unceremonious exit.
Given his age (25) and draft pedigree, someone will likely give Neal a second chance. However, the Giants are better off letting this ship sail.
Russell Wilson, QB
Wilson reportedly believes he still has gas left in the tank at this stage of his illustrious career, though that's part of the problem. The 10-time Pro Bowler has gradually declined since 2022, but continues trying to prove himself right and the doubters wrong. Frankly, it's tainted the legacy of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Not only has Wilson lost the mobility that once made him a dynamic scrambler, but his arm talent is diminished. The patented moon balls he became known for delivering are few and far between compared to the good ol' days. New York can't fall into this trip again, even in a backup capacity.
All good things eventually come to an end. Wilson may not be ready to come to terms with his reality (yet), but the Giants ought to. They learned the hard way that he's no longer fit to command a huddle and is probably better suited for a media job.