The NFL trade deadline is just a little over two weeks away (Oct. 29 at 4:00 p.m.) and teams will be looking to shed themselves of high-salaried players that no longer fit into their narrative.
The New York Giants (2-4) are a team in transition that fits the mold of a trading-deadline seller. They aren’t ready to win right now and have some players on their roster that probably won’t be here when the winning starts.
They currently have eight draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft and could have nine if the league awards them a compensatory selection (presumably a third-rounder) for losing Landon Collins in free agency.
Matt Lombardo of NJ.com outlined three players the Giants could move this month and I tend to agree with his assessment.
TE Rhett Ellison to the New England Patriots
Lombardo: “Ellison has one more year on his contract, but the Giants could go with the younger and cheaper option behind Evan Engram, in Garrett Dickerson for the rest of the season and free up $6.25 million in cap space with a $1.25 million dead money hit next season…Meanwhile, the Patriots have a need at tight end after releasing Benjamin Watson last Monday.”
Fennelly: Makes sense to me. The Giants like Ellison and he’s worked hard since he got here two years ago. He’s 31 and in his prime but by the time the Giants get around to winning, he might be gone anyway. They should do all parties a favor here and make the deal. What will they get in return, though? I would say no more than a fifth rounder, but look what GM Dave Gettleman did in the fifth round in this year’s draft (Ryan Connelly, Darius Slayton).
The Giants are loaded with young tight ends. Dickerson is just one of those. They also have Kaden Smith behind Evan Engram, who has developed into a Pro Bowl level player. Don’t forget they can also re-sign C.J. Conrad, who they had in camp this summer.
WR Golden Tate to the San Francisco 49ers
Lombardo: “The last remaining unbeaten team in the NFC, it isn’t inconceivable that the 49ers will go shopping to add weapons around quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo…Tate’s contract is structured such that the Niners wouldn’t have much financially at risk, because the guaranteed money in 2020 was voided by his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug Policy.”
Fennelly: Many hardcore fans did not like the big ticket signing (four years, $37.5 million) which came on the heels of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
Tate is a professional receiver with plenty of tread remaining on the tires. But there’s something about Tate that rubs people the wrong way, apparently. The Giants are Tate’s fourth team and for a player of his caliber, that’s strange. He showed how valuable he can be though against the Patriots, catching a 64-yard touchdown pass — the first allowed by New England this season. Then he backpedaled into the end zone for some reason.
The Giants already have two receivers locked up for the next four seasons in Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton and they are likely to add another stud in the 2020 draft, so yes, Tate is expendable. They probably could get a fourth rounder for him from San Francisco, where he would likely flourish.
CB Janoris Jenkins to the Kansas City Chiefs
Lombardo: “The Chiefs seemingly always have a need at cornerback, and this season is no different. Bashaud Breeland was called for a 53-yard pass interference penalty last Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts and opponents are averaging 237 passing yards per game…Last season, the Giants opted against trading Janoris Jenkins to an NFC East rival, and brought him back to anchor a young secondary and serve as a mentor in 2019.”
Fennelly: Jackrabbit — in the right setting — can still be an A-lister at times and teams will come calling for him this month. The only downside is his price tag ($11.25 million to his new team for next year), so the Giants might not get a decent return for him. If the Giants don’t look as if they are going to contend this year (and they won’t), they’ll pull the trigger on this deal.
The secondary could get Sam Beal back after Week 8 (if the Giants choose to) and Deandre Baker has settled down a bit. It’s time to get Corey Ballentine in the lineup anyway.
These are just three possibilities. No one is safe in Dave Gettleman’s world. He is not averse to moving any player at any time if the price is right.
