Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!
The New York Giants kicked off the trade deadline period with a lucrative trade for Leonard Williams, giving up a third and fifth-round pick in the process. The fifth rounder could turn into a fourth if Williams is re-signed before the new league year.
However, the Giants are tied up in the salary cap department at the moment, with veteran passer Eli Manning accounting for 11.83% of the available space. He has a $23.2 million hit this season. Getting him off the books in 2020 will be a disappointing reality, but it will open up general manager Dave Gettleman’s checkbook and enable the team to go out and pursue big free agents.
A good portion of Manning’s cap will undoubtedly go towards extending Williams if he proves his worth this season with Big Blue. He could earn upwards of $10 million in free agency, possibly reaching up to $15 million. I anticipate he will meet in the middle around $12.5 million per season, and hopefully, he’s worth the price given his lack of production for the Jets recently.
The New York Giants, though, will also gain back the cap-space from Odell Beckham Jr. deal. They will have an additional $16 million to spend in free agency as well. I anticipate that Gettleman will look to add a top linebacker, free safety, and cornerback if they fail to move Janoris Jenkins before the trade deadline. However, it comes down to Williams and if this deal pays off, as wasting draft capital on a rental player makes little sense.
Here are a few free agents for 2020:
ILB: Danny Trevathan, A.J. Klein, Kyle Van Noy
Cornerbacks: Chris Harris, Jimmy Smith, Logan Ryan
Free Safeties: Devin McCourty, Rodney McLeod, Jimmie Ward, Ha-Ha Clinton Dix
Right tackles: Bryan Bulaga, Marcus Gilbert, Daryl Williams
The Giants have plenty of talent to work with this next offseason, and they will have tons of cap-space to fill positions of need with premium players. I expect they will have upwards of $80 million available, which gives them enough space to sign 3-5 top free agents.
Nonetheless–
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