New York Giants fans love and appreciate Jermaine Eluemunor and what he brings to the table both on and off the field. However, the rest of the NFL may finally be realizing how good the veteran offensive lineman truly is -- much to the club's dismay.
Big Blue Nation has been bracing for Eluemunor's departure. He's slated for unrestricted free agency following this season and has ostensibly priced himself out of the Giants' range. That feeling has only intensified after his placement on Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus (PFF) list of the league's 15 underrated 2026 free agents.
By the sound of it, Eluemunor figures to be a hot commodity in the coming months. He's presumably set for a well-deserved raise, one that a squad projected to have approximately $28 million in cap space possibly can't make room for.
Pending free agent Jermaine Eluemunor seems primed to write check Giants can't cash
As a "steady presence" with experience at multiple spots along the front, Eluemunor's combination of reliability and versatility is appealing. He's got over 3,000 snaps at right tackle, 700 at left tackle and 500 at right guard across nine years (and counting). His capacity to make an impact on the inside and outside "should warrant a bigger payday than expected," as Locker explained in detail:
"Hardly anything has gone right for the Giants in 2025, with the team already firing head coach Brian Daboll. However, New York's offensive line has fared well, sitting fifth in PFF pass-blocking grade. Eluemunor is a big reason for that performance.
Eluemunor's 73.2 PFF pass-blocking mark places 23rd among 62 qualified tackles, and his 97.7 pass-blocking efficiency score is 10th. Moreover, Eluemunor sits 14th in pressure rate allowed (4.7%) among qualified tackles since 2024."
Eluemunor has been worth every bit of the two-year, $14 million pact New York signed him to in March 2024. He's been a hidden gem, an unsung hero and an important leader. His relationship with the Giants faithful is strong, so a split would be a tough pill to swallow.
Not only has Eluemunor saved them from the horrifically failed Evan Neal experiment, but he's also become a respected voice in the locker room. We've also seen him embrace Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. His contributions go far beyond the gridiron.
Spotrac's calculated market value anticipates Eluemunor netting roughly $8.9 million annually in his next deal. That's a reasonable cost, albeit one that the Giants could be hard-pressed to expense.