Giants Country

New York Giants Mailbag: Pre-Free Agency Edition

Let's see what's in this week's mailbag.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants Mailbag: Pre-Free Agency Edition
New York Giants Mailbag: Pre-Free Agency Edition

In this story:

New York Giants

If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please use this link to avoid having your question land in spam. You may also post your questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to @Patricia_Traina, hashtag #askPTrain. Please note that letters may be edited for clarity/length.

I don't know that it necessarily increases the chances of McKinney's return. He's still among the youngest safeties and is a guy who's ascending. And I think that a team looking for a safety would rather invest in an ascending player than an older guy whose best years might be behind him.

Totally. Schoen is in the latter stage of cleaning up the mess left behind by the previous regime, and he and Daboll rightfully want their guys in place. Schoen has also set boundaries regarding what he's willing to spend on free agents and has pretty much stuck to his guns. I have no issues with how he's approached free agency other than last year when he signed fifty slot receivers when he could have used that money to get an edge rusher or a swing tackle. 

Euguene, I wouldn't rule that out, but it will depend on who is on the board. It could make more sense for the Giants to trade down than up.   

Ed, why is that a bad habit? Last I checked, the Bills have been to the playoffs more than the Giants over the last several years. Does it matter what team a free agent comes from so long as he serves a purpose and does his job?  

I think they'd probably add some depth to the position, but why does everyone seem to forget about Dane Belton? The kid showed a nose for the ball in his limited snaps. This sort of reminds me of how everyone panicked when Julian Love left and I kept saying keep an eye on Jason Pinnock, who played well for them. I see this as a similar situation. I'm not saying I wouldn't want to see McKinney back here, but I am not sure his leaving would be as catastrophic as some seem to view it. 

I think John Mara understands that this rebuild will take some time. I also think that barring something out of left field, Schoen will get at least another two years (this year and next). While I hate to use injuries as an excuse, I think the feeling inside the building is that last year's ridiculous rate of injuries was a big factor in the team's demise. 

There was also some concern over the lack of development of some of the younger players, which led to a few changes in the coaching staff. So, I think Mara is going to let Schoen do his job and let the chips fall where they may. And so long as some progress is shown—remember, progress is never linear—Schoen will have a job with the team.

Dave, you're asking me to compare guys who have never played a snap in the NFL with guys who have, and that's simply not a fair comparison or an apples-to-apples comparison. We know the Giants do not have a No. 1 receiver on their roster. Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers, and Marvin Harrison Jr. all project as No. 1 guys at the NFL level.

At quarterback, scouts seem to be unanimous in their take that Caleb Williams is a generational talent. Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy are all being touted as franchise quarterbacks. But I'm old enough to remember when Drew Locke, Ryan Leaf, and Dan McGwire were touted as franchise quarterbacks, only to flop.

I'm also old enough to remember that once upon a time, the great Lawrence Taylor came into his first practice with the Giants starting with the third string (true story—I was told that for my book), only to leapfrog to the first-string team by the end of the session. Everyone is different, so I prefer to wait to see what these guys do when they get to the league.

No. You can't rush a quarterback into the lineup until he's ready, regardless of how you acquire him. Did the Giants rush Eli Manning into the lineup after trading a small king's ransom for him? Did the Chiefs do so with Patrick Mahomes? 

They rushed Daniel Jones into the lineup. How has that worked out for him and the team?

I get it that some teams turn to their rookies right away, but those are usually teams that just don't have a better option. Jones might not be the best option for this team moving forward, but as a potential bridge for a team that I highly doubt will get close to Super Bowl contention in 2024, he'll do unless a better option becomes available.

I think they'll make him an offer, but I also think he'd be foolish not to see what the market offers. Based on the talent that's hit the market recently, I'm not sure if McKinney will get the kind of payday he thinks he deserves, but we'll see how it plays out.  

There's nothing official that I know of (other than the league's daily personnel reports of which some in the media get the full report while others do not for whatever the reason), but here's a site that tracks that stuff. Personally, I don't put that much stock into the Top 30 visits anyway. It's not like the team is going to base their draft class on those visits, and often, the purpose of those visits varies. For example, some guys come in for another round of medicals, some to do actual whiteboard work with the coaches, and some just to sit down for another round of "get to know you" interviews.

Patrick, I think you're stating the obvious. I would use the first four picks to bring in new talent. I would not trade up in the first round. I can't honestly say I believe the talk of the Giants considering trading up. I could see a trade down materializing, but I think it would be a mistake to trade up.

It's not a fair question as both play different positions of need. That said I think  it would cost less to bring back McKinney given how the safety market is taking shape.

(From Tim R.) The simple strategy would be relatively inexpensive free agents (OL, DL), maybe a splash at edge and/or safety, and go after QB, WR, tight end, and depth pieces in the draft. There are too many holes to fill to trade up; give Dabes/Kafka a new QB project for DJ's last season.

Tim, you get what you pay for. I'm tired of this team cutting corners. Didn't we learn anything from their cutting corners a few years ago at backup quarterback when they had Jake Fromm and Mike Glennon?

Yes, it stinks to have to spend financial assets to bring in players developed by other teams. Still, until the draft picks start to bear fruit, unfortunately, that's the way Joe Schoen has to go, albeit hopefully not to the degree that Dave Gettleman did in his final season as general manager.

I don't necessarily have one specific name, but what I really want to happen is this team signing an offensive lineman with guard/tackle flexibility who has played on the right side of the line. So that could be Mike Onwenu of the Patriots or Jermaine Eluemunor of the Raiders. 

I don't think so. If the Giants wanted to release him, you would think they would have done so already. Waller has said he's enjoyed his time in New York, but any time a player starts contemplating retirement, that's not a good sign, as you have to wonder if he's "all in." 

That would be my biggest concern with Waller right now. If he decides to come back, will he be all in, or will he start throwing in the towel at the first sign of adversity?

I keep saying it depends on who else is on the board, but in this case, probably not. I think the Giants will beef up the offensive line with veterans so that unit can hit the ground running and look to use later picks in the draft to find developmental talent.

If I were the Giants, I would make it a high priority to get a No. 1 receiver in this draft.  

Give the local ticket holders a discount on the season ticket prices until the quality of football improves. Okay, seriously, I assume you mean in terms of free agency and the draft. I'd spend for the offensive line and edge rusher, two positions that, in my opinion, MUST hit the ground running this year. I wouldn't skimp on a solid backup quarterback in free agency, either. Given the uncertainty about Daniel Jones's injury history, I'd also draft a young prospect from this deep class.

I'd add a tight end as a free agent and look to add some defensive line depth. I think this team needs a CB2 in the back end of the defense, but because Shane Bowen doesn't play man coverage as much as Wink Martindale did, I think they might have some more potions at that spot.

I'd re-sign Isaiah Simmons, Gunner Olszewski, and Xavier McKinney. I'd let Barkley walk unless he'd be willing to sign for under $10 million per year--I think the Giants want to gravitate more toward being a deep downfield passing attack. While Barkley can help in that regard, I question making him a priority over getting a No. 1 receiver.

Make sense?

I haven't heard anything about that, to be honest. This is an extremely deep receiver class, so who's to say the Giants won't double-dip into it and add to the Darius Slayton-Wan'Dale Robinson-Jalin Hyatt trio?

I don't think they're trading for Justin Fields. At this point, if they plan to move off of Daniel Jones, let Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll get the guy they want and let Daboll develop him rather than try to salvage Fields. 

I wouldn't be shocked if the Giants drafted a quarterback in the second round. We need to see how the board falls, but I don't think I will panic if the Giants don't get a quarterback in the first round, given how deep this class is.

They start by developing the young talent they have, which has long been a problem. Sometimes it's not always the players who are at fault for the results.

I think so. I think the two biggest splashes will be edge rusher and offensive line. 

In my opinion, Daboll and Schoen would have to do something completely out of left field to lose their jobs. If they draft a quarterback, do you really want them gone after developing that quarterback for one season? Don't you think there was a lesson to be learned from the Daniel Jones fiasco and how the constant change of head coach and offensive coordinator was not conducive to his development?

Mike Onwenu of the Patriots. He provides guard/tackle flexibility. And I think the Giants need to legitimately challenge Evan Neal for the starting right tackle job rather than automatically hand it to him once he's healthy. If he loses the job, plug Onwenu in there. If Neal wins the job, put Onwenu at whatever guard spot is open.

The Giants are still doing due diligence on all their options at quarterback, so I doubt many players have been dropped off their board at this point. As for Rattler, he had a solid showing at the combine and on tape, but the scouting reports I've seen project him as more of a QB2/QB3 due to his inconsistency, lack of desired height, and questions about his arm strength.    

Brito, I hope any talent brought in is selected because they are the best available for the job.

The salary cap is a lot better than what Schoen inherited. I'm writing an analysis on this, so I don't want to give away my findings just yet, but this has been on my radar for a few weeks, and I hope to get the analysis up before the end of the weekend.

To be honest, I'd be surprised if the Giants go that route. They have already said that the expectation is for Jones to start when he's healthy. And I could be wrong here, but I get the impression Wilson might prefer to go to a team where he could start. I wouldn't hate the move if the Giants got Wilso for the veteran minimum.

Your question suggests the Giants dump Daniel Jones; that's not happening this year due to the cap hit. That said, the answer is to let Schoen and Daboll pick their quarterback and develop the kid. I think their plan is to let Jones, if healthy, be the bridge guy.

Dave, the Giants aren't cutting Jones this year, pre-June 1 or post-June 1. But to answer your question, a post-June 1 cut results in ZERO savings and a $47.105 million dead money hit this year thanks to the guaranteed money he's owed, with, I believe, $22.2 million hitting the 2025 cap. So let's drop any fantasies of Jones being cut this year because it's not happening (the answer to getting any kind of savings would have been a trade, and that's not happening this year either).

Per Over the Cap's contract notes, $23 million of his 2025 base salary is guaranteed for injury at signing, with $12 million scheduled to vest into a full guarantee at the start of the 2025 league year.

Published
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.

Share on XFollow Patricia_Traina
Home/Big Blue+