5 NY Giants who must prove they can’t be replaced after this season

2. K Graham Gano

Prior to last season, Graham Gano was arguably the Giants best player on the entire team not named Andrew Thomas or Saquon Barkley. He was that good since joining the franchise, becoming one of the more reliable kickers in the entire NFL. 

However, 2023 brought a ton of disappointment for Gano and the Giants. From the get-go, he wasn’t the reliable, automatic kicker that he became known as with the franchise. He was missing field goals and extra points that normally you wouldn’t even have to pick your head up from your phone to see go through the uprights. It felt like the Twilight Zone.

Then, it came to light that Gano had been dealing with a knee injury, and after some unconscionable misses throughout the mid-part of the season, he would be shut down for 2023. The Giants opted to go the free agent route with Randy Bullock, and he was solid enough for the team during the final parts of their season. 

The kicker (no pun intended) is that Gano inked a massive contract extension with the Giants prior to last season. That’s all well and good if he’s performing like he usually does, but Gano will need to be better in 2024 and beyond to justify the money he’s making. If not, he could find himself on the outside looking in when the time comes in 2025, as the Giants look for a more reliable, cheaper leg.