Needs, needs, and more needs, that’s the consistent trend for the New York Giants who continue to strike out in free agency, but plug draft picks into their foundation. Last offseason, GM Dave Gettleman found himself several potential building blocks for the future in Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence, and DeAndre Baker. Don’t forget about players like Ryan Connelly and Darius Slayton, who both showed they can play well at the NFL level.
The 2020 offseason presents a more significant challenge, though, one that has exposed Gettleman’s weakness — signing players in free agency. Since the Giants hired the former Carolina general manager, he has signed Jonathan Stewart, Patrick Omameh, Nate Solder, and Antoine Bethea, all underproductive players who counted significant money against the cap, specially Solder, and Omameh.
If the Giants wish to turn their organization around, it starts with plugging the right players into the right holes. There are plenty of quality options to choose from in free agency, ranging from Byron Jones to Jadeveon Clowney and much more.
How much cap space do the New York Giants have?
After the players reached a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL, the maximum salary cap for 2020 was announced, landing at $198.2 million, a tad lower than the projected $200 million. The Giants have $76.955 million to spend, and with Gettleman preparing to carry over $20 million into the season, they will have about $56.955 million to sign players.
They can make this stretch based on the increase in cap space in the coming years and signing bonuses, but they should be in the bidding for some of the better options available.
How will they deal with Leonard Williams?
Williams is expected to be franchise tagged, which will force the Giants to allocate $16.1 million toward him, ‘if’ they tag him as a defensive tackle. If he claims to be a defensive end, which is a stretch, the Giants will have to pay out $17.78 million.
Preferably, they will land him on a multi-year deal that guarantees him less money per season.