The NFL trading deadline is set for October 29 at 4:00 p.m. ET and the New York Giants, with a 2-5 record and sinking fast, will likely be sellers.
The question is, who will be the buyers? Does any team out there want any of the Giants’ players that will be made available? And secondly, what could those players possibly be worth?
The usual exercise for teams out of contention to clear their roster of veteran players who are not pulling their weight, have underwater contracts or do not fit in the long-term plan.
The Giants have a mish-mosh of a roster that has a few players that fit this mold thanks to a half-baked plan that came from the top where they thought they could rebuild and compete at the same time.
They were wrong about that in so many ways. Many of the veterans they brought in are underachieving and the young players on the roster don’t seem to be progressing as quickly as the teams had hoped.
That being said, I don’t believe the Giants have an appetite for adding any veterans at this point in time. They will have a windfall of cap space in the coming offseason to use on their pick of the lot and will not have to part with draft picks or players to add them.
Any player they trade away will result in draft picks coming back their way.
Here’s a look at the Giants’ top 10 players salary cap-wise, projected future with the team and possible trade value.
QB Eli Manning
Manning is in the last year of his contract and has a no-trade clause. Unless it’s an ideal situation, he’s going nowhere. His value is up to him. If a team comes calling and he wants to go, the Giants will take whatever is offered for him. They won’t negotiate. The price would be no higher than a third rounder.
CB Janoris Jenkins
Jenkins is having an inconsistent season but some of it isn’t his fault. The defensive scheme is garbage and he has played well in spurts. As we’ve seen there could be some teams seeking to beef up their secondaries and there a lot of teams with a ton of cap space. The Giants have a slew of young corners and Dave Gettleman will pull the trigger on a deal this time around. I see them getting a fourth or fifth rounder in return.
OT Nate Solder
If there’s a team out there that doesn’t think Solder is washed up, then call me stupid. There will be zero interest in Solder for several reasons. He is vastly overpriced and he can’t handle the speed rush anymore. No team is going to trade for his salary ($9.9 million in each of the next two seasons) at this point in his career.
LB Alec Ogletree
Ogletree is not the same player he was with the Rams a few years back. He is likely in the wrong defensive alignment and being asked to do too much in the passing game. He is a decent run stopper, but again, at his pay rate, teams are unlikely to buck up.
RB Saquon Barkley
Untradeable. Next.
WR Golden Tate
Even though the Giants just signed Tate and he’s become a favorite target for Daniel Jones, that that doesn’t mean they won’t move him if the deal is right. Tate is in the first year of a four-year deal at age 31 and they may not see him as part of their future. He could bring in a mid-to-late round pick but it’s unlikely he’ll be dealt. This year, anyway.
TE Rhett Ellison
Ellison is a professional tight end that can block and catch the football when asked. In this new era of the tight end, teams like to be three deep and there’s a market for a player such as Ellison. He has one more year on his deal and the Giants have a few tight ends in their system that they like. I can see him being moved for a late round pick.
OG Kevin Zeitler
Staying put. No way they even entertain moving Zeitler.
QB Daniel Jones
In a crazy world, trading Jones is nuts. He’s here for the duration. However long that is. The Giants will have a top 10 pick in a quarterback-rich draft next year. It is very possible they take one and then choose between the two. But that would mean Shurmur is no longer the coach and they see a narrow path forward with Jones. After taking him sixth overall this year and taking a lot of heat for it, they would only be inviting trouble. Imagine what Mike Francesa would have to say about this.
S Antoine Bethea
Bethea is 35 and in the first year of a two-year deal. His value is diminishing by the hour even though he’s the Giants’ leading tackler this season. Can’t imagine there’s a team out there interested. If so, it will be a seventh rounder.
