A $15M Debate: Can the Giants afford to pay Wan’Dale Robinson?

The Giants are facing a pivotal crossroads as WR Wan’Dale Robinson enters the 2026 offseason as an impending free agent.

After a 2025 campaign that saw the 24-year-old shatter his previous career highs, Robinson has officially transitioned from a versatile “gadget” player to one of the NFL’s premier high-volume slot receivers.

However, with a projected market value nearing $15 million per year, New York must now decide if they can afford to pay top-tier prices for a secondary playmaker while balancing a tight salary cap and the future needs of their young offense.

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Wan’Dale Robinson Has Broken Out in 2025

Robinson’s 2025 season has been his definitive breakout. Through 15 games, he’s put up 901 yards on 81 receptions with four touchdowns and a career-high 11.1 yards per reception.

This season has helped elevate Robinson from the luxury gadget label to a reliable high-target volume slot receiver. His efficiency skyrocketed with more competent QB play this season, averaging 7.2 yards per target, up from 5.0 in 2024. He is currently on pace for a 1,000-yard season, proving he is playing his way to an extension that might be out of the team’s budget.

Back in his 2022 rookie season, Robinson suffered a torn ACL. He then endured more challenges through the first three seasons of his career as the Giants’ poor quarterback play and inconsistent coaching dampened his ability to make an impact as anything more than a checkdown option.

But this season, Robinson has received more vertical targets, expanded his route tree, and become a more effective playmaker at every level of the field.

Now, he is set to enter free agency for the first time in his career, seeking a lofty contract and deserving of a substantial pay raise.

Robinson’s Next Contract Could Exceed $15M Per Season

According to Spotrac, Robinson’s projected market value sits at $14.9M, as they project a four-year, $59,765,660 contract for the former Kentucky product.

However, it will be a thin market for receivers this offseason, giving Robinson more negotiating power as teams could drive up his price amidst a bidding war. If the Giants want to extend the home-grown talent, they will likely need to compete with other teams for his services.

Last offseason, Buffalo Bills WR Khalil Shakir set the slot receiver market with a four-year, $53 million deal that could be worth up to $15 million per season.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported that Skakir’s deal is a contract that Robinson and his team have eyed since its signing.

“Considering Shakir never had a 900-yard season in his career, Robinson should be able to beat that this offseason as the top slot receiver on the market by a wide margin,” Raanan also reported.

If Robinson does indeed beat Shakir’s contract value, which he likely will, considering Robinson is bound to crack the 1,000-yard threshold, the average annual value of his next deal could easily exceed $15 million per season.

Robinson’s next deal could be more comparable to Jacksonville Jaguars WR Christian Kirk, who set the market for elite slot receiver production at $18 million per season in 2022.

Considering Kirk had not yet recorded a 1,000-yard receiving season at the time that he signed that deal in 2022, Robinson’s contract could be even pricier.

Can the Giants Afford to Extend Robinson?

With Malik Nabers established as the WR1, the Giants have to decide if they want to tie up $15M+ in a WR2/3 when Nabers will eventually command a $30M+ extension down the line, and Darius Slayton is already signed to a deal paying him $12M per season. There is no out in Slayton’s deal until the 2027 offseason.

Plus, if the Giants draft another WR in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Robinson would theoretically become the team’s WR3 again. The Giants need to decide if a WR3 is worth 5-6% of the total team cap.

But at 24 years old, a potential four-year deal covers Robinson’s entire physical prime and could make a $15M salary look like a bargain by year three of the contract as the cap continues to rise (projected ~$280M+). The Giants currently have about $17M in projected 2026 cap space.

Robinson is the kind of home-grown talent the Giants should want to retain. He is reliable, durable, and effective. He is arguably the most QB-friendly target on the roster, and the Giants need to prioritize surrounding Jaxson Dart with playmaking talent as he enters year two of his career.