Jermaine Eluemunor Is Building Into One of the Giants' Most Reliable Pieces Up Front

Among all the endless changes within the New York Giants organization, one of the most closely followed has been the arduous effort to rebuild their offensive line into a perennial strength.

It has taken them a long time to return to a form on par with the tough unit they had back in 2011, when they went on a run to the Super Bowl, but things are finally starting to take a positive path during the 2025 season with the Giants’ current group.

While different factors were responsible for the shift that saw the Giants finish the year ranked third in team pass-blocking efficiency, none were more impactful than the consistency achieved within the starting five.

Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor has been one of the shining examples of that durability and solid blocking since he joined the Giants as a free agent before the 2024 season.

The 31-year-old veteran is one of a few Giants players to miss fewer than three games in that span and has logged 2,013 total offensive snaps following his transition from the silver and black in Las Vegas, where he played for the Raiders for three seasons, before putting on the blue jersey.

Within that workload, Eluemunor has helped anchor the team’s starting front and improve the outside protection for the quarterback under center, so it’s no longer a turnstile of sacks for the opponent.

He has averaged a pass blocking grade of 73.8, the second highest among the Giants’ five starters, over the last two years while allowing eight sacks and 48 total pressures on his watch.

Eluemunor’s NFL career has been put through the wringer, and the former fifth-round pick has had to overcome a lot of obstacles to get to the point where he is playing elite football with the best protectors at his position. Giants fans are excited about the impact their two bookend tackles could have on the offensive strategy if they can stay healthy for the long haul.

The upcoming 2026 season could be another positive one for Eluemunor if he keeps pace with his record numbers, but no player is perfect, and there are aspects of his game that could be improved to maximize his efficiency on the front lines.

Jermaine Eluemunor, RT

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 338 lbs.
Exp: 10 Years
School: Texas A&M
How Acquired: FA-24

2025 in Review

At a recent Giants OTA practice availability, Jermaine Eluemunor told the media that he believed he had some of his best football in the pros during the 2025 campaign.

Looking back at his overall stats from last season, the pass protection numbers from his 16 starts would certainly vouch for the offensive tackle’s statement.

In 638 pass blocking snaps, which marked the largest amount in a single season of his career, Eluemunor posted a 76.7 pass blocking grade while allowing four sacks, three hits, and 19 total pressures.

Not only was Eluemunor keeping pass rushers away at a record rate, but he was also keeping his quarterback’s pocket nearly clean on a weekly basis. He finished 13 games with zero sacks and less than one overall pressure, including two separate five-game streaks without a let-up in the former category.

The lone game where Eluemunor had some struggles came against the Detroit Lions in Week 12 when he was responsible for a season-high four pressures in a strange outing against a Lions’ defense that ranked 26th in pass rush win rate at the end of the season.

When blocking for the rushing game, Eluemunor did run into some issues carving out lanes for the ball carrier without getting a little overphysical and committing penalties. He earned a mediocre 55.1 run blocking grade, his lowest since the 2021 season, and was called for 14 infractions, which were mostly on holding calls when the Giants were looking to run outside zone plays.

Contract/Cap Info

This offseason, Jermaine Eluemunor signed a new three-year deal in free agency with the Giants worth up to $39 million that keeps him in East Rutherford through the 2028 season.

Eluemunor’s entire contract includes a base salary of $25,050,000, a prorated signing bonus of $12,000,000, a per-game roster bonus of $1,350,000, and a workout bonus of $600,000, spread out over the life of the agreement.

In 2026, his base salary sits at $1,300,000, which is fully guaranteed, and he will earn $4,000,000 in a prorated roster bonus, $450,000 in per-game roster bonuses, and $200,000 in the workout bonus.

Eluemunor’s total cap hit for the season is $5,923,529 and is the 14th highest on the Giants’ salary cap liabilities for the current active roster. While very unlikely, a surprise release of Eluemunor would cost the franchise $17,450,000 in dead money charges but bring them back $ 11,526,471 in cap savings.

2026 Preview

For the first time in a while, the Giants have to be feeling good about the current uptick in their offensive line and the strength it is becoming for their young quarterback, Jaxson Dart.

The core of their optimism has grown out of the promise of their two veteran tackles, especially Jermaine Eluemunor, who has quickly endeared himself to the Big Blue faithful with his passion and grit on every down.

As long as he and Andrew Thomas, who both finished in the top 25 offensive tackles in pass blocking efficiency last season, remain healthy and competing at their highest levels, the chances for the Giants offense to further improve in year one under John Harbaugh will only get better.

It is very hard to succeed in the modern NFL without building a winning formula up front, and the Giants started that process with Thomas and Eluemunor, the latter of whom should have plenty left in the tank to offer to his position even at his current age.

Still, if Eluemunor wants to get even closer to his best play as a pro, the one major area he needs to work on is his efficiency as a run blocker. He was fairly good at that during his time in Las Vegas, but his grades have taken a hit since he moved to the East Coast.

He also needs to chop down significantly on the penalties–he has had 24 total over his first two seasons with New York–a number that is too steep for a starting right tackle who wants to keep his name in the company of the best faces in the sport.

Beyond his growth, it will be important for the Giants’ potential success at running the football again in 2026, where they will have an old-school ground attack to strengthen their offense and realize the vision John Harbaugh has in store for it.

The Giants won’t be as impactful in that realm if their linemen like Eluemunor are negating their efforts with countless mistakes that take away important yardage or even goal-line scores up the gut by Tyrone Tracy, Cam Skattebo and the rest of the backfield.

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