We are back for the first time in a while with my series, Everything's Van-Fine. The new league year officially got underway on Monday, and the New York Giants were very busy.
The Giants signed two players John Harbaugh was very familiar with from his Baltimore Ravens days, bringing in tight end Isaiah Likely on a three-year deal, as well as agreeing to terms with punter Jordan Stout on the largest contract for an NFL punter.
New York, however, said goodbye to four players who will be reuniting with former head coach Brian Daboll: tight end Daniel Bellinger, offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann, cornerback Cor'Dale Flott, and wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson agreed to contracts with the Tennessee Titans. Although not too many Giants fans will lose sleep over Bellinger and Schlottmann departing, Robinson and Flott are a different story, with the 25-year-old wide receiver being the focus of this opinion piece.
Robinson, who was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, is coming off his first career 1,000-yard season and became a favorite target for Jaxson Dart when the Giants lost No. 1 wideout Malik Nabers for the season in Week 4 with a torn ACL. Even though this departure may sting, don’t question for a moment that Harbaugh has a plan in place after opting not to re-sign Robinson.
The Giants have the fifth overall pick in this upcoming draft, and wide receiver Carnell Tate has been a name Big Blue could potentially snag with that selection. The former Ohio State Buckeye is coming off his best collegiate season last year, racking up a career-high 838 yards on 48 receptions and nine touchdowns in 10 games.
The G-Men still have all of this offseason to explore options at the slot receiver position in both free agency and via the trade market.
As much as Giants fans might not like to hear this, given Robinson's fast emergence last year, there was no way the Giants were going to pay Robinson $78 million over four years; it just wasn't going to happen.
Harbaugh is clearly shaping this team his way, especially after signing two former Ravens in both Likely and Stout. So, Everything is Van-Fine Giants fans, Robinson's replacement will be filled in some capacity this offseason.