One Pending Free Agent No One is Talking About for NY Giants

The New York Giants have done a pretty good job of masking their exact intentions ahead of the upcoming NFL free agency period. But if there is one thing they haven’t been able to hide, it’s the glaring holes that exist on the roster.

One of the biggest ones is on the offensive line, particularly at guard, where they have only Jon Runyan Jr. and Jake Kubas under contract.

The Giants, who have leaned heavily into the veteran scene for the offensive line with a degree of success, could theoretically re-sign one or more of Greg Van Roten, Austin Schlottmann, and Aaron Stinnie back to the roster on a cheap deal, but there appears to be a better option out there that not a lot of people are talking about.

That would be Kevin Zeitler, whom Giants fans undoubtedly remember as coming over from the Cleveland Browns as part of the Olivier Vernon trade in 2019.

Zeitler later played for John Harbaugh in Baltimore for three seasons after former Giants general manager Dave Gettleman cut him to save salary cap space. He has since made stops with the Lions in 2024 and with the Titans last year.

Zeitler, who just turned 36 years old, has been a starter at right guard everywhere he’s played. According to his Pro Football Focus grades, he’s shown no signs of slowing down.

His pass-blocking grade of 75.4 ranked second out of 47 guards who had a minimum of 800 blocking snaps, and his run blocking grade of 70.8 ranked 16th out of that same group.

In four of the last five seasons, he's allowed fewer than 20 quarterback pressures per season, and overall, he has a 98.2 career pass-blocking efficiency rating.

Zeitler has also been durable. Since the NFL moved to a 17-game season in 2021, he's only missed six games. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2023, his final season playing for Harbaugh’s Ravens.

Would he want to come back?

Guard Kevin Zeitler during his time in Detroit. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s understandably a blow to a player’s ego when he’s deemed not worthy of his salary by an NFL general manager, which was the case during his first stint with the Giants. But things have changed significantly since then.

For one, Gettleman is long retired, replaced by Joe Schoen. And Harbaugh, who saw Zeitler play some of his best ball when the two were in Baltimore, is now with the Giants, having been granted significant and unprecedented authority over the composition of the Giants roster.

If the Giants are looking to get more physical and athletic on the offensive line, Zetler, who has a projected market value of $9.2 million based on a one-year contract, might just be worth pursuing, as he would be a significant upgrade at that right guard spot.

Still, the question is whether he would want to return. Those who once let him go are gone, but he must decide if he wants to play.

The Giants owe it to themselves to find out the answer to both questions.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.