The New York Giants are entering a new era. The team cleaned the house at the start of this offseason and brought in new management and coaching. New general manager Joe Schoen has quickly gotten to work on fixing the Giants and has already accomplished some big goals in the process.
Joe Schoen already accomplished big goals as Giants’ new GM
Made the Giants more financially healthy
When the offseason began, the New York Giants had around negative $12 million in salary-cap space. Former GM Dave Gettleman was a bit too frivolous with his spending, causing the Giants to go overboard. In a couple of short months, though, Joe Schoen has gotten to work, cutting players and restructuring contracts to get the Giants back in the positive.
Joe Schoen made some difficult decisions this offseason. The likes of Devontae Booker, Riley Dixon, Kyle Rudolph, and others were released to create salary-cap space. Sterling Shepard and Blake Martinez were also both nearly cut before Schoen was able to negotiate new restructured deals with the veterans to clear some space.
To create a better future for the Giants, Joe Schoen has taken a much different approach to roster building. Teams like the New Orleans Saints are known for spending money and pushing cap hits down the road to future seasons in order to build their roster for the short term. The Giants fell into this habit under Gettleman’s tenure. Schoen has broken this cycle, though. This offseason, the Giants have only spent the money available to them, giving out short-term contracts and setting the Giants up for a healthy financial future.
Added stability to the Giants’ offensive line
The biggest weakness on the Giants’ roster this offseason was by far the offensive line. The Giants have struggled to build a competent front line for years which has led to offensive implosion. This offseason, though, Joe Schoen has attempted to rectify this issue. The Giants signed offensive linemen Jon Feliciano and Mark Glowinski this free agency period. At the very least, these two are average starters that can provide stability to the Giants’ offensive line.
Created insurance and competition at quarterback
The most controversial move for the Giants so far has been their signing of veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The Giants signed Taylor to a two-year, $11 million deal (maximum $17 million with $6 million in incentives).
Tyrod Taylor contract details with the Giants, per source: 2 years, $11M (additional $6M available in incentives).
$10.9M guaranteed: $4.2M signing bonus, 2022 salary ($1.25M), 2023 salary ($5.45M). There’s a void year to reduce the cap charges.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) March 16, 2022
The Giants spent more on their backup quarterback than most expected them to, but it was for good reason. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones is entering his fourth season in the NFL but has yet to establish himself as a long-term answer. Additionally, Jones has missed games with injuries in each of his first three seasons. Danny Dimes missed the final six games of the 2021 season with a neck injury. Backup quarterback Mike Glennon stepped in as the starter and struggled intensely, highlighting how important it would be for the Giants to add a solid veteran backup this offseason.
Tyrod Taylor not only adds insurance to the Giants’ quarterback room, but he also adds competition. Daniel Jones is the expected starter but he has struggled throughout his first three career seasons. Tyrod Taylor could compete for the starting job if Jones fails to show signs of improvement this year.
It is also worth noting that Tyrod Taylor’s contract is a two-year deal. This means that, regardless of what happens to Daniel Jones this season, the Giants have a starting-level quarterback on the roster for the 2023 season. If the Giants are in the market for a new rookie quarterback next year, they already have the perfect bridge quarterback on their roster in Tyrod Taylor.