Giants Salary Cap Health, Keeping the Faith and More in This Week's Reader 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!

I am wondering about your salary cap article from a few weeks ago. You indicated that the Giants' cap for 2026 isn’t in great shape, yet the NY Post had a piece praising the Giants for their salary cap discipline. I’m confused at how you can say one thing and the Post says another. – Thomas M.

Thomas, speaking for myself, here is why I say that, as of right now, the Giants' cap for 2026 needs work to put it into better shape.

The Post article mentioned that the Giants and Chiefs have the lowest 2026 dead cap space per Over the Cap, which is accurate. But it also acknowledges that the Giants will have to unload some contracts to increase available cap space, as I reported.

Per Over the Cap, the Giants, as of this writing, are $3.309 million in the red in effective cap space, which is what they need to fit guys under the top 51 and their rookie class to their roster. The top 51 rule coincides with the start of the new league year, which is how teams can afford to carry 90-man rosters.

That means dead cap space will swell once the fat is trimmed off. Now, does it mean it’s going to swell to the degree that it was this year ($34.093 million and counting)?

No. The Daniel Jones contract ($22.210 million in dead money) accounts for a large chunk of that dead money total, and it comes off the books after this year.

There are no contracts projected to be cut that will come even close to yielding that kind of dead money–maybe once combined, they’ll hit that total, but no single contract projected to be trimmed will take up that kind of dead money space.

The Giants, as of right now, have $2.33 million left in cap space with two games to go, and I’m telling you right now they’re going to need to do more roster gymnastics to fill holes to finish out the season.

I would not be surprised if they end up with less than $1 million in carryover cap space next year.

There is also the matter of postseason accounting–who earned “not likely to be earned” (NLTBE) bonuses, and who earned their “likely to be earned incentives” (LTBE)?

That accounting will affect the final cap space the Giants have, as will the final league-wide figure, which, per OTC, is $295.5 million per club (not counting any individual team carryover). I suspect that the per-club total will be higher. (See this piece for the trend).

If we really wanted to take a deep dive and say for sure that the Giants have been prudent with the cap, we could look at what the Giants have gotten in return for their investment in some of the big contracts. Historically, it’s rare for a team to get back a strong ROI (return on investment) when they shell out big money in free agency.

The bottom line is that I wouldn’t classify the Giants’ 2026 cap situation as being healthy. I get it that injuries happen, and you can’t plan for them.

I stand by what I said about the cap situation needing a lot of work to get it healthy again, which, with a few smart moves (and hopefully the use of voidable years, which can help), can improve the team's overall health.

#askPTrain

pT how can we stay focused on the positive these remaining two weeks.
— Joe Cox (@MotorProJoe) December 24, 2025

Dig deep within, Joe. I mean, I read all the time how fans say they bleed blue. I get it that the last decade-plus has been hard to deal with, but I would say focus on the positives and imagine what that group might be able to do with a new coaching staff in place and a few more pieces added.

I’m reading Saquon Barkley quotes about how he hated Eagles HC Nick Sirianni before being traded there. Then he saw how obsessed Sirianni is with even the little things, and he came to respect him.

This, coupled with an earlier interview where Daniel Jones said he thought they worked hard in quarterback meetings with the Giants, UNTIL he saw what Minnesota does.

Both these quotes indicate two specific areas where other, more successful teams are putting in more work.

If I’m the team owner, quotes like that don’t make me feel very good about the effort my team management is putting in.

Is it possible the Giants haven’t worked as hard as their peers? – Brent P.

I suppose it could be possible, Brent. It could also be sour grapes, the grass being greener on the other side, or just the competitive voice in the players' talking.

But I’ll also say this. It’s not a one-way street. Do the coaches need to work harder? Maybe. (Though I always say work smarter, not harder.) But how much of that is also on the players?

Lastly, we know the Giants are going to sweep out the coaching staff, so clearly they weren’t happy with the processes in place or the results, or lack thereof, they were getting.

What is your favorite Christmas song to play on the guitar? What do you think will have the biggest impact on defense next year, a new DC or a specific position upgrade?
— Kris Kauffeld (@dublk52) December 24, 2025

"Jingle Bell Rock," hands down. I think a new defensive coordinator who has a better grasp of how to adapt his talent to his system, rather than continuing to force square pegs into round holes, will make the most significant difference.

We've heard the idea of them wanting an "executive" and "leader of men" type as the next head coach

If they were to replace Schoen, do you have a feel for any specific types of GM candidates they'd be looking at? I.e. draft wizards, developmental specialists, cap navigators etc.
— John D (@HorhayBlanco) December 26, 2025

John, out of respect for Schoen, I do not want to offer up a list of GM candidates until that seat is officially vacant.

I still think there is a 50-50 chance he is retained, and if he is, I hope he shows singificant growth in all of the areas you've mentioned.

If he's not, I'll be more than happy to circle back and offer some thoughts in response to your question. Thanks for understanding.

What do you think the identity of the New York Football Giants should be next year? – Pat L.

Hi Pat. We covered your question in this article. Although I didn’t write it, I agree with the points.

Other teams know Dart is not running with the ball anymore. So the RPO and run option plays won’t work. Kafka is not letting him pass the ball either- only 13 attempts. Isn’t Dart’s talent being wasted because he refuses to protect himself when he runs? All he is doing is handing the ball off to others. – Fred E.

Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner (15) tackles New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Fred, regarding last week’s game plan, I wrote all week that I expected the Giants to lean heavily into the run game against the Vikings' run defense,, which wasn’t as much of a strength as the pass defense.

Did I expect only 13 pass attempts? No. But I did expect a lack of balance, favoring the run last week. And I also mentioned that with the Giants' running game (ranked seventh by the way, ahead of this weekend’s game) getting more of a look, thereby reducing the need to run Dart 4+ times a game.

So, no, I don’t look at it as the Giants wasting Dart’s talents. Do I think they can do a better job with balance? Yes. But I’m not overly concerned that they’ve removed the kid’s “stinger” as a runner, if you will.

Merry Christmas Patty, thank you for the great content.
— Domenic DAlessandro (@DomenicDA) December 24, 2025

Thanks Domenic. Hope Santa was good to you and yours.

Your Thoughts? The New York Football Giants are the only NFL franchise that has won a Super Bowl title in each of the last four decades. The NY Giants played in 5 Super Bowls and won 4 of those championship games, which ties them with Green Bay for the best success rate of a franchise appearing in more than 2 Super Bowls.

The NY Giants won four Super Bowls: in 1987 (Broncos), in 1991 (Bills), in 2008 (Patriots)--the year of "The Helmet Catch" by David Tyree–and famously upset the undefeated New England Patriots in 2012. We're on target to extend the record to five consecutive decades of Super Bowl championships! -- Jim C.

I admire your enthusiasm and confidence, and hope you are right.

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