There was much anticipation in the NFL this week surrounding today’s official trade deadline for the 2019 season. After 4:00 p.m. today, teams are no longer allowed to make trades until the season is over.
The New York Giants did strike a deal yesterday to acquire now-former Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams. This trade was a surprise, but it was not surprising to hear shortly after that the Giants were looking to trade away a few players, too.
The Giants were considering trading away three veteran players: Janoris Jenkins, Nate Solder, and Alec Ogletree. However, these trades never came to fruition, as the NFL as a whole was pretty inactive leading up to today’s deadline.
Why The Giants Kept Solder, Jenkins, And Ogletree
The New York Giants were expected to make some sort of trade today in order to recuperate draft capital that they lost after trading for Leonard Williams. The Giants gave up a 2020 3rd-round pick and a 2021 5th-round pick. Fans thought New York would be able to get these picks back by trading away these players. But maybe fans overestimated the worth of Solder, Ogletree, and Jenkins.
Nate Solder
Nate Solder was an interesting name to see pop up in trade rumors. The veteran tackle was signed by New York the last offseason to a record-breaking contract in order to bandage their left tackle position. Seeing the Giants noncommittal on Solder’s future with the team was surprising, but understandable.
Solder has allowed seven sacks and 33 pressures through eight weeks, according to Pro Football Focus. The 31-year-old has struggled so far this season but did have a trade market this week. Sources say the Cleveland Browns were interested. But New York’s desire to part with Solder was not high enough to match the thought market of interest. If the Giants did trade Nate Solder, it would not have been for enough to risk stunting Daniel Jones’s progression behind a backup tackle.
Alec Ogletree
Realistically, it would have been difficult for the Giants to find a trade partner for Alec Ogletree. Alec has struggled with injuries and lackluster performances over the past two seasons. He is a borderline starter at this point, so it would be difficult to understand why any team would trade for him.
Especially when considering what Ogletree is being paid this season. Art Stapleton of USA Today pointed out that Ogletree’s contract kept teams unattracted. Ogletree is due for over $10 million in salary cap each of the next two seasons. That is a tough commitment for any team to make to a struggling player.
Janoris Jenkins
Janoris Jenkins was definitely the Giants’ most tradeable asset of the three. But still, Jenkins remains a member of the Giants. There was not a market for Jenkins today and not exactly a big market for cornerbacks in general. More talented cornerbacks had their names brought up in trade discussions (Darius Slay, Chris Harris Jr.) but only one cornerback, Aqib Talib, was dealt.
The Giants were not able to find a trade partner for Jenkins, though it is unclear to what extent the Giants went to trade him. But now that we know Janoris is here till the end of the year, the Giants have an interesting decision to make in the 2020 offseason. Should they keep Jenkins around or cut him to free up cap space? Arguments can be made for either option, but Jenkins’s performance in these final eight games will greatly influence the Giants’ final decision.
Giants fans overestimated the worth of these players to other teams. But they also underestimated the worth of these players to the Giants. Janoris Jenkins is a potential long-term veteran player that New York could hang onto. Alec Ogletree is a defensive captain and locker room leader. Nate Solder is also a captain and a better tackle than anyone else they have.
The New York Giants are a rebuilding team. But in order to rebuild an NFL roster, there does need to be a few veteran leaders on the roster. The Giants have their leaders and will not be letting go of them this season.