As the excitement surrounding the New York Giants' coaching search starts to die down, all eyes are on the real offseason.
The G-Men are currently looking at a whopping $1.8 million in cap space as the offseason begins. Fortunately, that number won't be close to what they'll actually have once general manager Joe Schoen gets wheeling and dealing -- think roster cuts, trades, and contract restructures.
By the time free agency rolls around, Schoen should have Big Blue in a much better spot with just a couple of moves.
New York will almost certainly cut ties with players to free up some space, but that's for another time. Today, we're focusing on restructures and what that could potentially look like in terms of adding to their limited cap room. As it just so happens, there's a relatively easy way to wipe $35.5 million off the books with three restructures: Brian Burns, Dexter 'Sexy Dexy' Lawrence, and Paulson Adebo.
Player | Instant cap savings |
|---|---|
Brian Burns, OLB | $15.50 million |
Dexter Lawrence, DT | $8.85 million |
Paulson Adebo, CB | $8.14 million |
Giants have easy path to clearing much-needed cap room without gutting roster
We'll start with Burns, who's coming off his best season as a pass-rusher. The 27-year-old was relentless, giving opposing quarterbacks fits on a weekly basis. Schoen traded for and extended him just two years ago, so he's not going anywhere.
With Jaxson Dart playing on a rookie deal for the next four seasons, frontloading some of his $140 million contract into a signing bonus wouldn't be the worst idea. The 2019 16th overall pick is the perfect veteran-but-still-young-enough complement to Abdul Carter. The two will be terrorizing quarterbacks together for at least the next three years, giving new DC Dennard Wilson a strong start.
As for the big man in the middle, his cap hit is set to rise to $26.9 million this season, making 'Sexy Dexy' a prime target for a little cap gymnastics.
A lot has been said about Lawrence's down season in 2025. The infamous feud with Giants legend Carl Banks will go down as one of the stranger things to come out of last year, but the belief in the 28-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler hasn't wavered. They'll need him back on the defensive line if this team wants to go anywhere this year.
The defensive captain is very much still a cornerstone of the defense and should remain in East Rutherford for a long time, if not his entire career.
Adebo might be the easiest restructure to pin down. Since signing a three-year, $54 million deal last offseason (coming off a season-ending leg injury, no less), Big Blue has already tinkered with his contract, meaning they'd be so willing to actively manage his cap impact. The 26-year-old's debut didn't go as either side would have liked, but he's one of the only playable cornerbacks on the roster, especially with Cor'Dale Flott entering free agency.
The draft presents an opportunity to stock the cupboards -- we all know how much Harby likes his DBs. Having a vet presence like Adebo still in the locker room makes a lot of sense.
Armed with so little cap space, it makes sense to follow through with all three restructures. Sure, they'll add some void years that'll keep the G-Men on the hook for some money, even if the players are no longer donning Giants Blue, but so what? It's now or never.
With John Harbaugh leading the charge, it's time to go full-send. These are the kinds of moves you should make if you're Schoen.