The New York Giants entered the 2020 free agency period with a ton of cap space. The team had around $80 million to spend. And spend it they did. After free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, the Giants are down to having less than $10 million in cap space for the upcoming season.
So what will the Giants do in 2021? Will they have enough cap space to upgrade their team and resign the likes of Saquon Barkley and others? The Giants are projected to have around $45 million in cap space next offseason. But they could make some cuts to free up even more cap space (stats via Spotrac).
2021 Cut Candidates
Nate Solder
The first and most obvious cut candidate for the Giants’ next offseason is Nate Solder. Solder was a player that some considered to be a cut candidate heading into this offseason. Ultimately, it looks as though the Giants plan on keeping the veteran offensive tackle around for at least another year. But if his play continues to disappoint, cutting Nate Solder in 2021 is a no-brainer. Solder is due to account for 9.81% of the team’s 2021 cap space with a cap hit of $20.5 million. Luckily for New York, Nate Solder’s dead cap is only $6.5 million next year, meaning they can save $14 million if they cut him.
Golden Tate
The Giants could also look to cut Golden Tate. Tate signed with the Giants just last offseason, but his stay in the New York/New Jersey area could be short. Tate is another player who carries a high cap hit next season and might not be living up to his salary (one could argue it either way). Golden’s cap hit in 2021 is at $11 million and his dead cap hit is only $5 million. If Tate’s age catches up with him or he fails to impress for any other reason, the Giants could save $6 million in cap space by cutting him after the 2020 season.
Kevin Zeitler
Another, more surprising name on the offensive line could appear as a cut candidate. The Giants’ best offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler’s contract is structured in a way that makes it very easy to move on from him after this season. That doesn’t mean they should move on from him, but if for some reason Zeitler’s performance bottoms out in 2020, the team could free up a whopping $12.5 million by cutting him. Zeitler’s cap hit in 2021 will be $14.5 million with a dead cap hit of only $2.5 million. Zeitler is only 30 years old, so he could end up getting a second contract with the Giants. But if the team does not consider him to be part of their future plans, they could move on from the former Cleveland Brown after this season.