Free Agency and the Future Top This Week's NY Giants Mailbag

Welcome to the weekly New York Giants On SI Reader Mailbag! From offseason moves to game-day strategies, nothing is off-limits. So, let's dive right into your questions!

From Pat L.: Who do you think are the must sign unrestricted free agents at the end of this season in order of priority? I am curious where Jermaine Eluemunor and Micah McFadden fall on your list.

New York Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pat, I haven’t made a list yet, and I wasn’t planning to until we get to the end of the season, when I can go through the roster and see what makes the most sense.

Right now, I'd say both of those players are priorities, but I want to see if I can get a sense of whether Mbow has been training to play guard, which is why I don't want to make any definitive statements yet. Happy to revisit this at the end of the season after baggy day is in the books.

From Don A.: Is there any chance the Giants will require Jaxson Dart to wear a guardian cap on his helmet to reduce the chance of additional concussions?

Detailed view of a guardian cap | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

I don’t think so, Don. I don't think teams can mandate that players wear any extra equipment in a game.

From Joe K.: What do you think about Spags as the next Giants HC?

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Joe, I wouldn't mind Spags as the next head coach, but I think that ship sailed and they're going to (hopefully) go with someone who has a winning pedigree.

#askPTrain do you expect we will see dart under center a lot on Monday?
— Jonnyballgame (@BigPastyGuy) November 28, 2025

I don't know for sure, to be honest. I mean, they have had him work from the shotgun on 203 of his 225 plays (this per my count of every play he's been in this season), and they have had success with him working out of the gun as he acclimates to the NFL--most of his touchdown passes have come when operating out of the shotgun.

So I would think they'd stick with that plan, though at some point, he'll have to learn to work under center more.

Should John Mara publicly back or sack Schoen before the season ends? If he wants to keep him, let it be known. The fans deserve it and any pending FAs deserve to know who they are potentially signing or extending with. If not then get rid and let the new man pick his HC
— Chris M (@CMerrills22) November 28, 2025

I don't think there will be a public anything until after the season ends. If Schoen gets an extension — and it would likely be a short-term one if he does — then I think we'll have our answers. And I also think the decision will be made before the end of January.

#askptrain Hi Pat, is it possible or unlikely that Kafka remains as the OC and a new HC is named ?
— Passivenotagressive (@paulhaddadleb1) November 26, 2025

I don't think so. I beleive Kafka wants to be an NFL head coach somewhere. Now, whether he gets that opportunity, I can't say for sure, but I can't fathom him going back to being the Giants' OC after having served as the interim head coach. But that's just my guess.

Probably can't answer this but what's the point of activating Gray instead of giving Miller at least 1 game. Gray has shown nothing except not being able to hold onto the ball. Miller is unknown I find it hard to believe Miller wouldn't be better on kick returns
— Kevin LaFaso (@kjlafaso) November 26, 2025

For what it's worth, here is what Bob Folger, who reviews each player's weekly performance, wrote about Miller following the third preseason game: "Throughout Miller’s 11 touches from scrimmage, it became obvious to these eyes that he’s an average running back.

"His decision-making is too slow between the tackles, and his penchant for bouncing runs outside is never going to make it against regular season defenses. But get him in space in the screen game and Miller turns into the Flash.

"He finished off this pre-season with nary a drop which included three more catches. Miller’s pass-blocking is as average as his running instincts. We don’t believe he'll make the roster, even if his special team potential is legit. His overall game remains unpolished."

Do you believe the Giants should play Mbow or Ezeudu, guard only, down the stretch to see if they can be contributors for next year?
— Kris Kauffeld (@dublk52) November 26, 2025

Kris, Mike Kafka is currently auditioning to have the interim part removed from his title. Now is not the time to experiment by having Mbow play guard when he's worked at tackle all season long.

Also, Ezeudu is on IR at the moment, and they have other injury-related needs they're going to have to fill before they can even think of activating him. So that's a long way of saying "No" to your question.

From Fred E.: What is the salary cap situation after this season? Do you think Wandale Robinson should be given the big contract? What do you think Joe Schoen will do?

New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Fred, the salary cap situation is fluid, and I can guarantee you that it will change between now and then. Once postseason accounting is done, the final 2025 total is rolled over, and the dead weight will be trimmed.

As of right now, they have a total of $17.344 million on space on the books for 2026, but are in the red $2.967 million for signing players to the Top 51. So there is work to be done before any player signings are discussed.

Regarding Wan'Dale Robinson, I don't have a feel for that situation just yet. Right now, the veteran receiver market doesn't look very appealing, but that could change once guys are released or made available for trade. For what it's worth, I hope they do re-sign Robinson.

From Dan M.: Given the continued collapse of the defense in the fourth quarter of these games, do you think physical and mental conditioning and endurance are part of the problem? It’s just unreal how the team collapses in the 4th quarter of these games. The game management issues are continuing as well. Bring in a guy like Wink Martindale for HC or DC.

Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dan, the Giants have logged 767 plays on defense (not including field goal attempts or punts) as of this writing. That's the fourth-most defensive plays in the league, averaging nearly 64 per game. That's a lot of mileage on the players.

Now, some of that could be a result of the offense not sustaining drives, but I personally think, given that they've allowed 40.14% of the third-down attempts against them to be converted (21st in the league), that's on them if they're wearing out by the fourth quarter.

P.S. I strongly believe that the Wink Martindale ship has sailed.

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.

More New York Giants Coverage