Giants Free Agency 2025 Rewind: Where Did Big Blue Get Best, Worst Value?

The whole idea behind spending in free agency is to get as many productive players as possible, at least until a draft pick can replace them in the long term.

So how did the New York Giants do in this regard last offseason?

In a word, “meh.” That’s because of the 17 free agents who joined the Giants from other teams, seven either didn’t make it out of training camp, or if they did, they barely lasted the entire season, six fought injuries that either kept them out of the entire season or caused them to miss large chunks of the 2025 campaign, and two ended up being benched.

Before we get into the breakdowns, a couple of thoughts. One, injuries can’t be planned for, so we’re not going to slam the decision to bring in guys who were being counted on to contribute but who couldn’t due to injuries.

Second, roughly nine of the 17 signed low-cost, veteran minimum deals, which meant they didn’t fully count against the 2025 cap, a saving grace for general manager Joe Schoen, who every year brings in players on these types of contracts just in case they’re needed.

That all being said, let’s break down the 2025 class–again, we’re only looking at players who were brought in from other teams, not the Giants' own free agents they re-signed–and see how the class aged over the 2025 campaign.

Best of the Lot

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Jevon Holland (8) reacts after defensive stop during the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Giants needed to address the defensive secondary and managed to get starters in cornerbacks Paulson Adebo (3 years, $54 million) and Jalen Ramsey (3 years, $45.3 million) and safety Jevon Holland (3 years, $45.3 million).

Adebo missed five games with a knee injury, and Holland missed three games, also with a knee injury. They combined for two interceptions (though, to be fair, Holland wasn’t tested deep all that often), 13 pass breakups, and 11 forced incompletions, neither player finishing as the team leader in any of those categories.

Another guy who ended up being a surprise starter only because it was thought he would eventually give way to youngster Darius Alexander was defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, who signed a two-year, $9 million deal after being cut by the Seahawks for salary-cap reasons.

Robertson-Harris started all 17 games as Dexter Lawrence’s running mate along the defensive line. They finished with 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, and one pass breakup; his 18 stops led all Giants interior defensive linemen.

"Good Intentions"

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks on after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The intentions were good, but you know what the old saying is about good intentions, right?

That could certainly apply in the case of quarterback Russell Wilson (1 year, $10.5 million) and offensive tackle James Hudson III (2 years, $12 million).

Wilson was signed after the Giants signed Jameis Winston–more on him in a bit–the assumption undoubtedly being that the Giants weren’t sure if they were going to get a young franchise quarterback.

But if the plan was to have the veteran quarterback serve as a placeholder, why not just have Winston be the starter and keep Tommy DeVito, who would have cost them far less than Wilson?

The other headscratcher is Wilson. To be fair, Wilson is a great teammate and locker room presence who handled everything with class. But there were two things about that signing that just never made sense.

The first is that the Giants all but handed Wilson the starting job when they signed him, never once launching a legitimate competition. Wilson not only proved to be less than an ideal fit for the type of offense the Giants wanted to run (hence the offense's significant makeover once the coaches switched to Jaxson Dart), but the Giants also gave Wilson the quick hook after three games.

Granted, Wilson, who later revealed that he suffered a torn hamstring just before the Week 2 game against the Cowboys, wasn’t solely to blame for the early-season struggles.

But it is fair to say that the Giants never got the return on investment they were seeking; their plans of letting Dart sit and develop had to be scrapped by Week 4 of the season.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the Giants would have been much better off bypassing Wilson and sticking with Winston and DeVito as their veteran quarterbacks and mentors for the incoming rookie.

Hudson was supposed to be the veteran swing tackle. Still, between an ugly meltdown in Week 2 that led to his benching and the rise of rookie Marcus Mbow, who passed him on the depth chart, the majority of Hudson’s season was spent on the inactive list as he only dressed for 11 games.

Hudson, like Wilson, it would seem, will probably not be on the 2026 roster.

"Sneaky Value"

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The leader in this category is Winston, who signed a 2-year, $8 million contract to be the backup quarterback, a move made clear given the contract’s dollar amounts.

Winston not only provided sneaky good value, but his skillset was probably closest to that of Dart’s, meaning the Giants didn’t have to completely overhaul the offense as they did once they transitioned from Wilson to Dart.

Winston, like Wilson, is a beloved locker room figure and is as authentic as they come. If he wants to continue playing beyond 2026, it would not come as a surprise if the Giants happily hand him a contract extension after this year.

However, it also wouldn't come as a surprise if the Giants were to add a young developmental quarterback this offseason.

“We Hardly Knew Ya!”

New York Giants linebacker Chris Board | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Giants, looking to bolster their special teams unit, brought over linebacker Chris Board from none other than John Harbaugh’s Ravens. Board signed a two-year, $5.7 million deal to become a core special teams player, but his first season as a Giant ended in Week 2 due to a season-ending chest injury.

Outside linebacker Victor Dimukeje (one year, $1.337 million) is another guy the Giants added in the offseason who was barely able to give the team anything.

That’s because he too suffered a major injury, his being a torn pectoral muscle suffered during May, which limited him to just five games before yet another injury, which came in Week 12, put him back on the injured list for the rest of the 2025 campaign.

Dimukeje contributed just three tackles in 16 defensive snaps, playing 78 snaps on special teams.

“The Jury is Still Out”

Outside linebacker Chauncey Golston (3 years, $18 million) and inside linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (one year, $1.337 million) were each limited to ten games due to injury.

Golston stepped up after the team lost Kayvon Thibodeaux to a shoulder injury, holding his own against the run, but not producing much of an outside pass rush. To be fair, though, the Giants really didn’t deploy Goldson inside much on passing downs, which is where he made his living while with Dallas.

Golston is more of a contain outside linebacker with an inside pass-rush game that was rarely utilized. If this coaching staff recognizes that and Golston can stay healthy, there is no reason to think he can’t have a bigger, more productive role.

Flannigan-Fowles is an interesting player. He actually was the best of a string of inside linebackers the Giants put on the field after Micah McFadden was lost for the year due to injury, showing both the speed to run and cover and the power to jolt opposing ball carriers.

But again, his problem was staying healthy, as he played just 10 games due to injuries to his pec, calf, neck, and head. Flannigan-Fowles finished with 33 tackles, and he flashed on special teams. Again, he wasn’t that bad, but the lack of availability was a problem.

That said, it will be interesting to see if the Giants bring him back for another veteran minimum deal.

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? Send it here.

Best of the Lot

"Good Intentions"

"Sneaky Value"

“We Hardly Knew Ya!”

“The Jury is Still Out”

More New York Giants Coverage