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New York Giants Mailbag Part II: Roster Building, Salary Cap Matters and More

Here is the rest of our Giant mailbag!
Patricia Traina|

As promised, here is Part II of this week’s huge mailbag. Remember, if a question has already been answered, e.g., Will the Giants sign Leonard Williams, I didn’t include it here.

If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please send it to nygiantsmaven@gmail.com.

What’s up, Oscar? Incentives work one of two ways. You have LTBE (likely to be earned) incentives and NLTBE (not likely to be earned) incentives. 

LTBEs count against the current cap number, and if they’re not reached, then the team gets a credit against the cap that rolls over to the following year. 

NLTBE incentives do not count against the current cap year, but they hit the following year’s cap if they are earned.

Examples of an LTBE incentive include games played, percentage of snaps, and anything that can be achieved during the season. Examples of NLTBE incentives are anything that can be earned after the regular-season ends, e.g., Pro Bowl berths, winning a Super Bowl, winning league MVP, etc.

What’s up, Tony? I think the biggest surprise is they didn’t cut Nate Solder. But I understand their reasoning behind that, and it does make sense. I am also surprised they didn’t cut Levine Toilolo—that one I’m still trying to figure out, though if he doesn’t make the roster, they’re not on the hook for a lot of dead money.

Reporting for duty, General! Honestly, if the Giants land Golladay, I suspect that reduces the urgency to get a receiver. But if Kyle Pitts is there, I take him and don’t think twice about it. 

I’ve spoken to some personnel folks, and they think if the Giants land Golladay and Miami edge rusher Gregory Rousseau is on the board, you go in that direction. I’d like to see what happens next week to a better feel for this because I don’t have my usual gut feeling that I usually come away with after attending the combine.

What’s up, Mark? It’s $2.5 million.

Great question, Chuck. Judge’s philosophy reminds me a lot of the late Herb Brooks’ philosophy when building the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team: don’t obsess about getting the best players; focus on getting the right players. 

Sure, the right players need to have talent, but they also have to be willing to be put through the wringer and realize no one is above the team. I see a ton of similarities in Judge’s style to Brooks.  (Yeah, I’m old enough to where I saw the actual Miracle on Ice, but I never knew the backstory until I saw the movie and read a few of the books written about that team.)

Hi Steve. No, I don’t think Ross is enough. And I wouldn’t rule out the Giants adding another receiver even if they get Golladay because Sterling Shepard is getting up there, and John Ross is only signed to a one-year deal.

Simple math, my friend (and a low, low base salary of just $3.5 million in the first year of the deal, which when added to the $7.5 million prorated signing bonus, you get your $11 million cap number).

And no, there are no voidable years in Williams’ deal.

Really clever, there, Keric. No, I don’t think the Giants kick the tire on N’Keal Harry if he’s released, not if they land Golladay.

Hey Tony. Dave Gettleman has never traded down in the first round in his life, but hey, there’s always a first time for everything, right? Does it make sense to do it this year? It depends on how the board falls, to be honest, and he does like his draft picks.

Hey Stuart. It’s all about depth. I mean, let’s hope that Saquon Barkley is good to go, but if he’s not, then what do you do at running back? 

The fullback, I think, they got on a Veteran Salary Benefits deal. If so, then he doesn’t cost a lot whether they keep him or cut him (and he appears to take Nate Ebner's place as that special teams staple).

Hey Lefty. I think Will Hernandez will move to right guard (there was an IG video showing him working on drills from both sides). But this is also a very strong class for interior linemen, so I would be shocked if they don’t draft one from this group.

Hey Sonni. I’m not optimistic there will be OTAs this year. The vaccine has been slow to roll out in some states (hello New Jersey, I’m looking at you!), but the hope is that everyone can get vaccinated by the summer. 

So my guess is until the vaccine is more widely available, you won’t see OTAs. Besides that, the NFLPA doesn’t seem to want them anymore after seeing how things went last year by going virtual.

Yo Adrian! Nope, but I didn’t expect to hear anything about Gallman until the second wave of free agency. My understanding is this is a good draft class for running backs, so we’ll see if Gallman lands somewhere.

Oooooh, Jeremy. I’ll be honest. I’ve never attempted to calculate the league-wide cap before, and I’m not sure I want to start now. But with that said, ow that the new TV distribution rights are in place, I can see the cap soaring over the next few years.

Lucas, I would say probably not, but you have to see what happens in the draft and how injuries play into the mix. In other words, it’s too early to say since they’re still filling out the 90-man roster for training camp.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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