The New York Giants enter the 2026 offseason with one goal: get better. They’ve already made massive strides, hiring future Hall of Famer John Harbaugh as their new head coach. But now comes the hard part for general manager Joe Schoen -- it’s time to make the roster good enough to justify the hire.
The G-Men are closer to competing than people want to admit. A couple of smart additions in free agency and the draft could quietly shove them into the NFC East conversation sooner than expected. If last season proved anything, it’s that franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart needs real weapons around him if he’s going to become the difference-maker Harbaugh and Co. believe he is. But not every splash move actually moves the needle.
That starts with the receiver room, where several intriguing names are set to hit the open market. Tyreek Hill, Alec Pierce, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Hollywood Brown, and Jauan Jennings are among the headliners.
But one of them might come with a $68 million headache. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport all but told Schoen to avoid negotiations, sounding the alarm on Jennings and naming the 28-year-old 49er as one of eight offseason busts waiting to happen:
"Jennings is a good player. He set a career high this past season with nine touchdown catches. But in five seasons Jennings has topped 75 catches just once. He has never had 1,000 receiving yards. And Jennings has missed multiple games in each of the past three seasons.
Those numbers just aren't worth $22 million and change a year."
Jauan Jennings carries a massive $68 million red flag for Giants
It wasn't all that long ago that the G-Men were interested in Jennings' services. They were reportedly inquiring about the wideout at last year's trade deadline. It's unclear what the asking price was then, but needless to say, it's looking a lot more expensive now.
According to Spotrac, the 2020 seventh-round draft pick is expected to garner a three-year, $68 million deal this offseason... which is quite literally rich for the lack of production he's had over his five years in the league.
The former Tennessee Volunteer's career stats look more like an all-star WR3 than anything close to a WR1, which would be the expectation, given the lofty valuation:
Receptions | Receiving yards | Touchdowns | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
24 | 282 | 5 | 2021 |
35 | 416 | 1 | 2022 |
19 | 265 | 1 | 2023 |
77 | 975 | 6 | 2024 |
55 | 643 | 9 | 2025 |
To put that into perspective, here are his totals over his five-year stretch in the NFL:
Total recs | Total rec yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|
210 | 2,581 | 22 |
There's nothing there to suggest he's worth anywhere near the $22 million per season he's being valued at. For what it's worth, Big Blue's upcoming free-agent receiver, Wan'Dale Robinson, is valued at $71 million... over four years. That’s a $17 million AAV. And Robinson’s per-season averages are stronger across the board.
However, there is something to be said about the way the Niners' wideout plays the position. The 6-foot-3 target is known as a sure-handed chain-mover who can step up and make big plays in big moments. But still, it's hard to see Schoen ponying up that much cash on a relatively unproven receiver, especially when there are other positions needing upgrades.
The Giants need help at receiver, but not at that number. If that’s where the market goes, Schoen’s answer should be simple.