Most NFL teams that have their house in order usually don’t wait until the last minute to sign their impending free agents. The ones they want to keep, that is. The New York Giants have not been one of those teams as many of their recent draftees have not warranted second contracts.
The Giants are currently comprised of many new faces, predominantly players brought in after Dave Gettleman took over as general manager in December of 2017.
There are very few holdovers from the Jerry Reese era. There are 14 to be exact:
- Quarterback Eli Manning
- Long snapper Zak DeOssie
- Cornerback Janoris Jenkins
- Tight end Rhett Ellison
- Wide receiver Sterling Shepard
- Linebacker B.J. Goodson
- Running back Paul Perkins
- Tight end Evan Engram
- Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson
- Running back Wayne Gallman
- Defensive end Avery Moss
- Offensive tackle Chad Wheeler
- Center Jon Halapio
- Kicker Aldrick Rosas
Of these 14 players, Gettleman has committed long-term to just one — Shepard, who he signed to a four-year, $41 million extension through 2023 last month. Manning is in the last year of his contract and will have to play lights out for the Giants to extend him past this season, especially now that they’ve anointed Daniel Jones their quarterback of the future.
DeOssie is 34 and is basically playing year-to-year. The Giants have been bringing in possible replacements for him the last two seasons. He very well may retire after this year. Jenkins is the senior man at corner but with all the young bucks the team just drafted plus his prohibitive contract, he could be dealt or released after this season (or even before).
Ellison is in the same boat. The Giants have several young tight ends that they feel could do what Ellison does such as Scott Simonson and UDFA C.J. Conrad. Goodson, Perkins and Moss are on fumes at the moment and will have to make a huge jump this year for the Giants to make a further commitment.
Wheeler, Halapio and Rosas will all be restricted free agents after this season, so all the Giants have to do is place tenders on them. Engram, as a former first round selection, will be eligible to have his fifth-year option exercised in the spring of 2020. The Giants will likely pull the trigger on that as it appears to be a given at this point.
So who will the Giants offer extensions to either during this season, or after it? After going through the above list, the answer is probably none, but here’s four players we think Gettleman will commit to.
Punter Riley Dixon
The only thing can prevent Dixon from reaching free agency is a down season, but now that the Giants have brought in Rutgers’ Ryan Anderson, a left-footed punter, to challenge him, he’s likely to keep improving.
Dixon had a strong first season for Big Blue, averaging 41.8 net yards per attempt (7th in the league). He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson
The Giants have been stockpiling defensive linemen since Gettleman’s arrival and many (including us) have been chiseling Tomlinson’s epitaph as a result. We are guilty for thinking — and writing — that Tomlinson was an underachiever, but upon further review we’ve changed our outlook for him.
He was on the field much too much last season, and in this defensive scheme, the linemen need to be rotated more often. With all the new depth coming in the door, Tomlinson will be much more effective.
Tomlinson, a second round pick in 2017, will be eligible for free agency after the 2020 season. We don’t think the Giants will let things get to that point.
Defensive end Markus Golden
True, Golden hasn’t played a down for Big Blue yet, but he’s healthy and was tailor-made for this defensive scheme. He’s here on a one-year, “show-me” deal and it’s very likely he’ll have a comeback season now that he’s back playing the outside in the 3-4 under his former defensive coordinator in Arizona, James Bettcher.
Golden is just 28 and has a lot of tread left on tire so to speak. A solid season for the sack-strapped Giants could lead to, let’s say, a three-year deal?
Safety Michael Thomas
Thomas will be 31 next year and Giants’ secondary will most likely not need his services past this season. But there’s always room for a special-teamer and solid locker room guy.
Thomas is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, and there probably won’t be a ton of teams dialing his digits, so the Giants can probably get him back on a sweetheart two-year deal.
