New York Giants Get Above-average Value on These Two Free-agent Moves

Pro Football Focus issued grades for all 32 NFL teams' top free agency moves, and the Giants graded out well value-wise.

Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo (29) heads to the locker room after the game against the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New York Giants' initial free agency haul saw the team address several glaring needs in the defensive secondary, the defensive line, the offensive line, and special teams, which was enough to earn the club a grade of B from Pro Football Focus.

The popular analytics site evaluated seven major signings (or, in some cases, re-signings) by the team, basing those evaluations on the overall grade it assigned to the players after the 2024 season and the value of the contracts signed by the players.  

Of the seven deals, only two, those of cornerback Paulson Adebo and receiver Darius Slayton, were graded “above average,” the average based on what kind of contract PFF estimated for the player.

Those two contracts came in under what PFF initially projected for the players, representing above-average value. 

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Of Slayton, whose return to the Giants surprised many people, PFF had projected a 2-year, $36 million ($18 million APY) deal. 

Slayton’s actual contract was for 3 years and $40 million ($13.3 million APY), which made it something of a bargain for a receiver who has posted at least 600 receiving yards in four of the past five seasons and has at least 17 explosive plays in five of the last six.   

When stacked against his contemporaries, Slayton’s APY currently ranks 23rd among receivers.

Adebo’s contract was projected to come in at 3 years and $54 million ($18 million APY); instead, the Giants were able to get him for 3 years and $40 million ($13.3 million APY). Adebo, who has a chance to develop into a CB1 for the Giants, has an APY that currently puts him 15th among cornerbacks.

The Giants and the rest of the NFL begin Week 2 or the second wave of free agency this week, still searching for a veteran bridge quarterback.

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