This Giants’ Contract Named "Worth Watching" By The Athletic

Forget make-or-break. Giants OL Evan Neal needs to give the Giants reason to believe in him to get a nice contract extension.

New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal is facing a make-or-break season in his contract year. | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

It doesn’t get mentioned very often, unless a deal is consummated, but every year, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen seeks to extend the contracts of certain players whose deals are about to expire.

The Giants are set to have 26 players on their current roster who will become unrestricted free agents after this year. And of those 26, The Athletic picked offensive lineman Evan Neal as the team’s biggest contract worth watching.

Neal was likely chosen given his first-round draft status and the fact that he’s facing a make-or-break year ahead as he looks to transition from tackle to guard. 

If he can successfully make the transition and find his way into the starting lineup, that would be a huge save for the Giants and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, who was supposed to work on converting Neal last year only to have the plan shelved when the former Alabama star had a setback in his recovery from season-ending ankle surgery the year prior.

Neal could also be in line for a contract similar to what Mekhi Becton received from the Chargers this past offseason as a free agent. Becton, who successfully converted from tackle to guard with the Eagles, signed a two-year deal worth $20 million, giving him the fourth-highest APY among guards this coming season.  

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Why Neal's contract isn’t the biggest worth watching  

While we see the logic behind selecting Neal as the biggest contract worth watching, our pick for the biggest contract worth watching tends to fall on the more established players for the team, such as inside linebacker Micah McFadden and receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. 

McFadden has been sneaky good for the Giants since becoming a full-time starter two seasons ago. The Giants’ defensive tackle leader last season, McFadden has posted 16 tackles for loss over the last three seasons, with 17.8% of those coming on first-down plays.

But with the arrival of Abdul Carter, who can give the Giants snaps at inside linebacker and supplant McFadden in the lineup in certain personnel packages designed for passing downs, McFadden’s play this season could very well set the stage for whether he gets approached by Schoen about a contract extension.

The same could be said of Robison. Robinson has been productive, particularly in the slot for the Giants, but his 7.5 yards per reception ranked dead last among 44 receivers who had a minimum of 85 pass targets last season.

Robinson is hoping to be moved around a little more this coming season, getting some snaps as an outside receiver, which could potentially increase his contributions to the Giants' offense. And if he can do so, perhaps he can convince the Giants of his worthiness of a contract extension.

Getting back to Neal, Shoen has exercised caution in giving extensions to one-season wonders. We saw that with quarterback Daniel Jones, whose four-year deal had an escape clause after two seasons.  Would Schoen take the same approach with Neal, who has also had injury issues over his NFL career and who has struggled to perform consistently?

There’s a lot that still needs to unfold this summer before Schoen sits down and draws up preliminary plans regarding extensions. But one thing is for certain: there will be quite a few players who will be aiming to show they’re worth an extension this year.