Once the clock struck 12 p.m. on Monday, it was fast and furious all over the football world with the start of NFL free agency. The New York Giants were involved as well, although, for many, the one move most expected them to make hasn’t happened yet.
Heading into the weekend after meetings with Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson, the Giants have yet to sign a veteran quarterback to join Tommy DeVito, who has returned on a one-year deal. The Giants continue to add to the roster while eagerly awaiting Aaron Rodgers's decision. Their meetings with Flacco and Wilson show they are prepared for Rodgers to do what Matthew Stafford did—go elsewhere.
So after a week of moves all over the place, how did the Giants do in the first week of reshaping and retooling the roster for the 2025 season?
Grading every Giants signing from the first week of free agency
Paulson Adebo: A
The weakest part of the Giants’ defense in 2024 was the secondary, so it made sense that the first external signing addressed that need, specifically at cornerback, when they brought in Paulson Adebo.
A year ago, the Giants went the cheaper route for secondary help and passed on signing players like Darious Williams and Tre’Davious White. The team bet on its younger defensive backs developing, but with Deonte Banks regressing in his second season, Joe Schoen had no choice but to spend on secondary help and quickly scooped up Adebo.
Adebo was considered the best cornerback available in free agency and exactly what the Giants needed for a unit that struggled in 2024. His presence allows him to be the primary cornerback while Banks moves to CB2, with Andru Phillips playing the slot.
Some might see his season-ending leg injury as a risk, but given all the top-tier wide receivers in the NFC East the Giants will face, this was a necessary move to strengthen the position.
Roy Robertson-Harris: C
One of the Giants’ needs heading into the offseason was defensive line depth and adding consistent players alongside Dexter Lawrence, who was nearly unstoppable before his season-ending injury. Going back even further, the Giants’ defensive line has struggled since trading away Leonard Williams and letting A’Shawn Robinson walk in free agency.
Jordon Riley still hasn’t progressed, D.J. Davidson is a backup at best, and Elijah Chatman and Casey Rogers are still developing. Rakeem Nunez-Roches wasn’t great, so to bolster the defensive front, the Giants added veteran Roy Robertson-Harris on a two-year, $10 million deal.
It’s not an exciting move. Some fans were hopeful for former Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who ended up with the Minnesota Vikings.
Robertson-Harris is a rotational piece who could help alongside Lawrence, but this is an okay move at best. Nothing more.
Darius Slayton: B-
The Giants surprised many by bringing back Darius Slayton, as most expected him to sign elsewhere. Instead, he returns for his seventh season with a payday he had been seeking last offseason.
Slayton will remain the Giants’ No. 2 wide receiver on a three-year, $36 million deal. He’s been a reliable target since being drafted in 2019.
Before Malik Nabers arrived, Slayton led the Giants in receiving yards in four of his first five seasons. Some have questioned whether his numbers would have been different with a better quarterback than Daniel Jones.
We’ve seen flashes of what Slayton can do with Tyrod Taylor and Drew Lock. Now, with Jones out of the picture, we’ll see what he’s capable of with a new QB in 2025.
Slayton typically posts around 50 catches, 700 yards, and four touchdowns per season. In a bloated receiver market, he cashed in on his dependability. Playing alongside Nabers, who will draw a lot of defensive attention, should only help him.
James Hudson: D
The Giants needed offensive line help, but this move was questionable—especially since they were expected to target guards, not tackles.
The first offensive lineman they signed in free agency was James Hudson to a two-year, $12 million deal.
At 25 years old, this move is still a head-scratcher. Hudson was primarily a backup in Cleveland, starting just 17 of the 49 games he appeared in. He played mostly at right tackle but also spent some time at left tackle in 2024.
His numbers resemble those of a backup, and perhaps he’s being considered for the swing tackle spot—a role the Giants struggled with last season after Andrew Thomas went down. Maybe offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo can get more out of him, but at $6 million per year, the Giants could have used that money more wisely.
Chris Board: B
In a move to strengthen special teams coverage, the Giants signed veteran linebacker Chris Board to a two-year, $6 million deal.
Board is considered a high-level special teams player, though he’s capable of stepping in at linebacker if needed. Two of his three career sacks came against the Giants back in 2020.
Despite the Giants’ investment in outside linebacker, Board won’t be expected to rush the passer—he was signed for his ability to make plays on special teams.
Many still remember the Week 2 loss to the Commanders, which exposed issues on special teams. While that game was more about the kicker than coverage, the Giants clearly want to improve in this area, and Board should help.
Chauncey Golston: B+
This signing has a lot of potential for the Giants, as they addressed a need at edge rusher with Azeez Ojulari likely not returning. The Giants plucked away someone from within the NFC East in Chauncey Golston.
Golston had the best season of his career in 2024, recording a career-high 5.5 sacks, along with 56 total tackles and 28 total pressures for the Cowboys.
At one point in the 2024 season, the Giants’ pass rush was at the top of the league and led the NFL in sacks, but injuries were a major factor in the team's defensive decline. Despite that, the Giants still finished ninth in total sacks. A big part of that drop-off was Kayvon Thibodeaux missing over a month after undergoing wrist surgery, which put even more pressure on Brian Burns.
Even with Thibodeaux back and Burns entering his second season with the Giants, the team needed a more reliable replacement for Ojulari, who has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. Golston hasn’t missed a game in two seasons, which is a good sign for his durability moving forward.
Golston will get every opportunity to shine and excel as part of the Giants' defense and pass rush while continuing the success he had in 2024.
Jevon Holland: A+
Not many expected the Giants to be in the market for a safety—let alone one of the top safeties available—but on the second day of free agency, they struck big by signing Jevon Holland to a three-year, $45 million deal.
Some wonder if this is Joe Schoen making up for letting Xavier McKinney walk away for nothing last offseason and then watching him shine with the Green Bay Packers. If that’s the case, maybe Schoen learned his lesson and felt the pressure of letting good players go only to see them thrive elsewhere.
Holland will be paired with the Giants' 2024 second-round pick Tyler Nubin, who was playing well before an injury ended his rookie campaign. Putting Nubin next to Holland should only elevate his play entering his second season.
Holland has a 91.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest among safeties since 2021, which should be a massive boost to Shane Bowen’s defense in 2025.
With the additions of Paulson Adebo and Holland, the Giants' secondary no longer looks like the liability it was last year.
Stone Forsythe: C+
The Giants made another addition to the offensive line, perhaps for their swing tackle spot, by signing Stone Forsythe to a one-year deal.
The signing of Forsythe is a lot better than the Hudson deal, especially from a financial standpoint. Experience-wise, they’re about the same—Forsythe started 14 games out of 53 appearances for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Giants didn’t really address the swing tackle position last offseason because they relied on internal options that didn’t pan out. Midseason, they signed Chris Hubbard, who didn’t play well, forcing them to shift Jermaine Eluemunor from right tackle to left tackle.
At least with the signings of Hudson and Forsythe, the Giants are addressing the issue now instead of getting caught off-guard midseason. It’s an okay depth signing.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette: A-
The Giants' return game has been a bit of a revolving door over the last few years, mostly due to either injuries or poor play.
At one point, Eric Gray was the Giants' return guy, but he struggled. Ihmir Smith-Marsette was eventually added to the team, and he was clearly the best option the Giants had as far as an overall returner goes. Smith-Marsette showed off those skills when he returned a 100-yard kick in Week 17 at MetLife Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts.
Now back for a second season with the Giants, Smith-Marsette will have a lock on both return jobs, as he can handle both kick and punt return duties and prevent the team from having to look at other options elsewhere.
Greg Van Roten: B
The Giants tried to sign Will Fries in free agency before he joined the Minnesota Vikings. It’s unclear if they’ll pursue other right guard options, but for now, they brought back Greg Van Roten, who played the position in 2024.
Van Roten signed late last summer, so now he’ll have a full offseason to prepare for the 2025 season. His ability to play both guard and center is a huge plus, as he stepped in at center when John Michael Schmitz was injured last year.
At 35 years old, Van Roten is a veteran presence who can provide stability on the line. The Giants could still explore other guard options, including moving Evan Neal inside, but Van Roten’s experience makes him a valuable asset.
For now, keeping him at right guard (and possibly backup center) is a solid move for an offensive line that saw improvement in 2024 and will look to continue that momentum in 2025.
Aaron Stinnie: C
The Giants brought back another lineman who was on the team in 2024 on a one-year deal in Aaron Stinnie, who started three of the 16 games he played last season.
Stinnie wasn’t great in 2024, as he had a 47.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, but he’s considered more of a backup player for depth at guard who can start if needed.
Before coming to the Giants, Stinnie started 11 of 13 games for the Buccaneers in 2023, so he has experience as a starter in the league. Stinnie is a solid depth piece for the offensive line who can play if needed but is better served as a backup behind Jon Runyan and Greg Van Roten.
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowler: C
To go along with Chris Board, the Giants added another linebacker who is likely to be for the special teams, as they signed Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles as well to help with the unit.
Flannigan-Fowles, like Board, has some experience playing linebacker as well, as he started in three of the 12 games he appeared in last season for San Francisco. He had an interception to go with the 17 total tackles made.
The Giants will need 90 players when they come to camp over the summer, and it could be a case of Flannigan-Fowles competing with Board for a spot on the roster when the summer hits. His ability to play linebacker could also help in his case to make the roster as well.
Jeremiah Ledbetter: C+
Roy Robertson-Harris will see a familiar face when he joins the Giants, as he will see his former Jaguars teammate and co-defensive tackle in Jeremiah Ledbetter, who was signed to a one-year deal.
One of the two sacks Ledbetter had in 2024 was seen above where he sacked Aaron Rodgers, which was then followed by a backflip, so Ledbetter clearly has some athletic ability to go along with his power and size.
Ledbetter graded out well as a run stopper in 2024 for Jacksonville, as he had a 63.0 overall PFF grade. His pass rush grade wasn’t quite there with a 49.5, but the Giants can use some better run stoppers up front and have been needing them ever since Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson left the team.
Ledbetter is on a cheap one-year deal, so he could push others to compete and perform for their spots if he doesn’t factor into the regular season plans.