NY Giants 2025 Training Camp Preview: ILB Bobby Okereke

New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) runs onto the field to start the game between the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Giants have retooled and reshaped their roster during the offseason. Now, the only thing left to do is cement these moves and establish defensive leaders. One name that continues to command attention as the 2025 training camp approaches is linebacker Bobby Okereke.

Okereke was a major free-agent addition in 2023 and instantly became one of the most productive players on the defense. Now, heading into his third year with the Giants, Okerke is looking to return to the kind of production he delivered in his first season with the team, one in which he played every snap.

---

BOBBY OKEREKE, LB

• Height: 6-1
• Weight: 235 lbs
• Exp: 6 Years
• School: Stanford
• How Acquired: FA-23

---

2024 in Review

After making a powerful statement in his first year with the Giants as a productive starter and team leader, the organization switched defensive coordinators, a resulting style that was not particularly conducive to Okereke’s game.  

He seemed a bit hesitant early on and never really found his footing in the less aggressive scheme until the last five games of his season, when he started playing like he did last year and finished third on the team in tackles with 93, breaking a three-season streak in which he had posted 100+ tackles.

A Week 12 back injury short-circuited his season, it being the first significant injury of Okereke’s career. 

If he is truly healthy–he did not undergo any procedure to address what was reported to be a disc issue–Okereke should be in line for a bounce-back effort now that he’s entering Year 2 in this defensive system.

---

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.

---

Contract/Cap Info

Okereke is entering the third season of his four-year, $40 million contract signed in 2023. He will carry a $14.46 million cap hit in 2025, taking up roughly 5% of the team’s total cap space. 

That amount consists of a $5.8 million base salary, a $3 million roster bonus that has already been paid out, a $200,000 workout bonus, and the $5.463 million prorated portion of his $19.595 million signing bonus, the amount having increased after his contract was restructured last year.

2025 Preview

The number one thing with Okereke is his health. It was somewhat concerning how, in the spring, he participated in the earlier workouts before the team backed off of him during the latter part of the workout schedule. 

One would think that it was just a precautionary measure, and certainly, we hope that’s the case. However, usually, when a team backs off a player in the spring, as in keeping him completely off the field, that usually means something happened.

That said, Okereke, if fully ready to go when camp opens next month, should be much more effective this year than last year. 

It was clear that he struggled at the beginning of last year, at times looking uncertain about what he was supposed to be doing. And as quarterback of that defense, if he wasn’t sure, it’s fair to wonder if the calls were on point.

The good news is that eventually, Okerkee, who has a sharp football mind, found his footing, racking up double-digit tackles in two of his final five games before being forced to go on IR. 

Over that five-game span, he averaged 10.4 tackles per game, a huge upgrade from the 5.8 average he logged in the first seven games of the season.