After months of speculation, it seems that the NY Giants finally have their answer as to whether or not Darren Waller will be retiring. According to a report from Jordan Raanan and Adam Schefter, the former Pro Bowl tight end is expected to hang up his cleats and not play in 2024.
If the reports are true, and Waller does retire, the Giants could actually benefit from this in terms of cap space. Losing a weapon as good as Waller would hurt, but New York could afford to add some crucial free agents with the money they'd get in return.
Should TE Darren Waller retire (expected), the #Giants would take on dead cap charges of $2.45M in 2024, & another $5.91M in 2025.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 3, 2024
NY will free up $11.625M of 2024 cap space per the move.
With around $12 million to spend on free agents, there are some great players still on the market who the Giants could benefit from signing. More specifically, these four players could be instant-impact veterans for New York, and potentially even play a bigger role than Waller ever did:
4. DL Lawrence Guy
As of now, one of the weakest positions on the Giants' defense is their defensive line. While they have Dexter Lawrence, who is arguably the best nose tackle in the NFL, the rest of this unit is looking rather suspect. So, with some extra cap space, it could make sense to add some veteran presence and none may be better than Super Bowl champion Lawrence Guy.
Guy has consistently been a solid interior lineman throughout his 12-year career and even last season, at the age of 33, he was still productive. Through 17 games he racked up 38 combined tackles, one tackle for loss, and six pressures.
While the lack of any pass-rush will limit Guy's usage on the field, he could provide value as a run-stopper, which is something the Giants need. Bringing in a run-stopping veteran such as Guy could bring a big boost to the Giants' defense. Not to mention, he could play a big role in mentoring younger guys like D.J. Davidson and Jordon Riley. Guy would not cost much to sign, and with the New England connections this Giants' coaching staff has, don't be shocked to see Guy suiting up for New York sooner rather than later.