The 2019-2020 NFL season is nearly over. The Pro Bowl will take place this weekend, followed by the Super Bowl the next weekend. After that, it is officially the 2020 NFL offseason for every team in the league. But some teams had their offseason start earlier than others.
For the teams that did not make the playoffs, the offseason began on December 29th. The New York Giants are one of those teams that are already three weeks into their offseason. Since the end of the 2019 regular season, the Giants have fired a head coach, hired a head coach, and made numerous other changes to the team’s coaching staff.
While the Giants must sort out their coaching staff, they will soon need to make changes to their roster, too. In March, the New League Year will begin. With that comes the opening of free agency. The Giants can be big spenders this year if they want to be. They are estimated by Spotrac to have over $69 million in cap space. This is before they even start to trim the fat and cut veterans on inflated contracts.
New head coach Joe Judge is a former New England Patriots special teams coordinator. His connections to New England have been prevalent throughout his coaching staff hirings. Plenty of former Patriots are joining the Giants’ new coaching staff. Expect to see Joe Judge bring in players from New England this offseason as well.Â
Matthew Slater
Matthew Slater is regarded as one of the best special teams players in the NFL. The 34-year-old NFL veteran has been in the league since 2008 and has spent his entire career with the New England Patriots. Slater won three Super Bowls in New England and went to eight Pro Bowls.
Over the past decade, Matthew Slater has been one of the most consistent special teamers in the league. He has been selected as a First-Team All-Pro five times and has been a Second-Team All-Pro once.
Slater plays around 20 snaps a game, so his time is limited, but his impact is tremendous. Matthews 2019 Pro Bowl selection was the eighth of his career, breaking Steve Tasker’s record for the most special teams Pro Bowl honors in NFL history.
He’s credited as the heart of the dynasty, a leader both on and off the field, and an inspiration to new players who need to learn how to fit in with the most successful franchise in modern sports history. –Rodger Sherman of The Ringer discussing Matthew Slater’s career.
The Giants are trying to build a new, winning culture, similar to that of the “Patriot Way.” Brining in the veteran Matthew Slater not only would help to make the Giants’ special teams unit one of the best in the league, but it would also add a key leader to the Giants’ youthful locker room.