Training camp is just around the corner in the NFL and the New York Giants still have some holes to fill on their roster. While the majority of the offseason’s big-name free agents have already signed new contracts, there are still some intriguing options on the trade block that the Giants could target to bolster their lineup.
There are also a few players on the Giants’ roster who could be offloaded to gain additional assets for the upcoming season. Trades are a common occurrence during training camp as teams finalize the shape of their roster for the regular season. Giants general manager Joe Schoen has earned his reputation as an aggressive trader and could look to make another move this summer.
Trade No. 1: The Giants Could Try To Add a Former All-Pro Cornerback
The Giants are set to enter the upcoming 2024 season with second-year cornerback Deonte Banks as their primary starter. However, opposite Banks is a huge mark of uncertainty. Third-year cornerback Cor’Dale Flott is expected to take over the starting job, but provides minimal experience as a starting cornerback on the boundary.
If the Giants want to add a more established starter to their secondary, they could target a top talent on the trade block. New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore has had his name pop up in trade rumors this offseason as a result of his team choosing to select a cornerback in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Lattimore is a career four-time Pro Bowl selection who is entering his eighth season in the NFL with three seasons left on his five-year, $97 million contract ($19.5 million AAV) that he signed back in 2021. The 28-year-old cornerback has been a staple of the Saints’ defense for nearly a decade but could find himself wearing a new uniform for the first time in his career as New Orleans potentially heads in a new direction.
Trade No. 2: Offloading a Disgruntled Veteran Wideout
Darius Slayton missed the majority of the Giants’ offseason workouts this spring as he held out in the hope of receiving a new contract extension. The two sides came to a compromise and agreed on a new incentive package for the upcoming season, however, Slayton still seemed disgruntled while speaking to the media during mandatory minicamp in June.
The Giants could look to trade Slayton this summer and give him the opportunity to earn an extension elsewhere. They have second-year wideout Jalin Hyatt waiting in the wings, poised to step into a larger role. Moving off Slayton could allow them to promote Hyatt into the starting lineup.
However, replacing Slayton will be easier said than done. Since being drafted in 2019, Slayton has been the Giants’ leading receiver in four of his five career seasons. In 2023, he racked up a career-high 770 receiving yards despite entering the campaign on the roster bubble. Perhaps holding onto Slayton would be the wise decision, but if they want to move on from him and give Hyatt a larger role, they should be able to find a team interested in Slayton’s services.
Trade No. 3: Loading Up On Offensive Weaponry
San Fransisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been involved in trade rumors all offseason long. As he and the 49ers continue to negotiate, the option of trading him away remains on the table. The Giants have already added talent at wide receiver with first-round draft choice Malik Nabers, but could aim to load up on offensive weaponry with another blockbuster trade for Aiyuk.
Aiyuk is blossoming into one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but as a result, he is looking to be one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. Aiyuk totaled 75 receptions for a career-high 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in a breakout 2024 season. Trading for Aiyuk would require the Giants to hand him a contract worth nearly $30 million per season.
Trading for Aiyuk would also require the Giants to move on from another playmaker in order to carve out a role for their new acquisition. The odd-man out in that situation would likely be the aforementioned Slayton who could potentially be included in a package for Aiyuk if one were to come to fruition. But with minimal salary cap space available to New York, it is unlikely that the Giants could afford to trade for Aiyuk this summer.
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Trade No. 4: Moving an Injury-Prone Pass Rusher
The Giants acquired Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers this off-season, reinforcing their defensive front and pairing him with third-year pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Unfortunately, that means pushing Azeez Ojulari will move into a depth and rotational role. For Ojulari’s sake, this isn’t exactly what he imagined entering the NFL several years ago, but for the Giants, this is a massive upgrade that should bolster their pass-rush production significantly.
However, Ojulari is a solid pure pass-rusher who has dealt with a significant number of injuries over the past three years. He’s played 1,457 career snaps, tallying 87 pressures and 19 sacks.
Ojulari is more than capable of being productive when he’s on the football field, but the Giants may find value in trading him during training camp.
Another team with Super Bowl potential may see Ojulari as an asset in the trenches. While it seems the Giants will likely want to retain him and hope to extract that same value in 2024, they might be able to get some decent draft capital in return before the season starts. In the end, they could end up moving him at the deadline next season anyway, so this would just expedite the process.
Trade No. 5: Acquiring Defensive Line Support
The defensive line is one of the Giants’ stronger units, but the defensive tackle spot, specifically, could use a bit more experience and depth. Khalil Davis of the Houston Texans could be a perfect fit. The former sixth-round pick in 2020 has played 544 snaps in his career, most of which came last season, enjoying 481 snaps. He provided 23 pressures and 24 tackles with a 9.3% missed tackle rate.
The Giants have one of the best defensive line coaches in Andre Patterson, so extracting maximum value from Davis might be possible. He had a few standout games in 2023, producing three pressures against New Orleans and five pressures against Tennessee.
For the most part, he was a solid tackler and good in run defense, which the Giants value. Davis is expected to get pushed down the depth chart in Houston a bit, so he may be available for trade if not on a casualty of roster cuts.
Trade No. 6: Trading a Veteran Slot Corner Away
The Giants re-signed former fourth-round Darnay Holmes to a one-year veteran minimum deal this off-season, but he could end up becoming a trade candidate to a team that needs more depth at the slot cornerback position.
The 26-year-old has 1,484 career snaps, picking up 97 tackles with 1,318 yards allowed and one touchdown. Holmes is excellent when it comes to sniffing out screen passes and operating on the line of scrimmage, but he has been tormented in coverage, picking up penalties left and right and struggling to stick to his target.
The Giants are testing him on the boundary during training camp this year so he can make the transition full-time, where he played in college. He was never able to fit the nickel role the Giants envisioned back in 2020, but there may still be value for Holmes if Andru Phillips wins the job and the veteran becomes expendable.