After months of speculation, the New York Giants have officially pulled the plug on the Bobby Okereke experiment.
According to Jordan Schultz, the G-Men have released the seven-year vet in a cap-saving move, freeing up $9 million (while eating $5.4 million in dead money) right before the start of free agency on Wednesday, March 11.
Sources: The #Giants have informed LB and defensive captain Bobby Okereke that he will be released.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 4, 2026
The team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year amassed 385 tackles in 3 seasons with the Giants (143 last season), but now will get a head start on free agency. Okereke was entering… pic.twitter.com/xAPk7jqEmf
New York signed the middle linebacker to a four-year, $40 million deal in 2023. His first two seasons with the team went well. He became a reliable run stuffer for the G-Men, grading above a 71 run-defense grade via Pro Football Focus in both seasons. Even still, his individual efforts didn’t exactly lead to winning football.
Then the 2025 season came around and blew up his spot, exposing him as a linebacker on the decline. His run-defense grade dropped to an abysmal 45.5, one of the worst marks at the position, and when you pair that with a 13% missed tackle rate, that’s just unacceptable for a player making that kind of money to do the exact opposite of what he’s supposed to do.
Giants officially reset the middle of their defense by releasing Bobby Okereke
Okereke can run and cover sideline-to-sideline, but this new defense is about physicality between the tackles. John Harbaugh’s best units have always been built around linebackers who trigger downhill and control the run game, which hasn’t been Okereke’s strength as of late.
The Giants will have plenty of chances to upgrade the position via free agency or the draft. Bobby Wagner, Devin Bush, and Demario Davis could be signed. Prospects like Sonny Styles, Jake Golday, and Deontae Lawson could be in play in April.
The 29-year-old has never been a Pro Bowler, but he’s been close to that level of play just a few seasons ago. Since 2021, he ranks sixth among all defenders with 668 tackles. He’ll get another shot to prove to a team why the Giants were willing to pay him the eighth-highest cap hit at the position.
Okereke will have plenty of opportunities to land with another team in free agency, but one team sticks out more than the rest, and it’s going to get all of the eye rolls from Giants fans.
The Dallas Cowboys could use some help in the middle of their defense after years of being unable to fill the Leighton Vander Esch void left behind when he suffered multiple neck injuries and ultimately retired in 2024. Okereke could be the easiest solution come free agency.
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Not only are the Cowboys already razor-thin at the position, with just DeMarvion Overshown manning the middle, who has his own injury concerns, but Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer is a confirmed big fan of Okereke, speaking about him multiple times and even calling him a “hell of a football player.”
The Giants are clearly reshaping the middle of their defense. Whether it works will depend on who replaces him. Fingers crossed they get it right.