Have you ever found extra money while looking in your pants pockets or jacket? The NY Giants had their version of that happen not long ago. The NFL announced that the 2024 salary cap would increase to $255.4 million, which boosted the Giants from having around $19 million to $32.8 million currently, according to Over the Cap.
With free agency set for next month, the Giants can still make a few contract restructures to give themselves even more salary cap space, which will allow for Joe Schoen to not be counting dollars and spend a little more aggressively, similar to what he did a year ago when he had cap room to work with.
So, with the possibility of having almost $70 million in cap space, pending if they do the restructuring of Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence and Bobby Okereke’s contracts and release Mark Glowinski, then what can the Giants look to do once free agency kicks off? Let’s take a look at some moves the Giants should make:
5. Re-sign Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney
Before the Giants look outside the market to add other players, the team needs to take care of their own and bring back two of their best players in Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney. When the NFL announced that the salary cap increased by $30 million, we made the case for the Giants to keep both of their best players and get them signed to long-term deals.
Good football players that are homegrown should be kept at all costs. While at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Joe Schoen said he would like to re-sign Barkley and McKinney, and was expected to talk to both players' representatives while in Indianapolis.
Again, before anything else happens, the Giants bringing back two of their best players on each side of the ball is an absolute must. It sets the tone for the team and will show that the Giants value their own players.