Report: New York Giants have put Golden Tate and Kevin Zeitler on the trade block

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the New York Giants have discussed wide receiver Golden Tate and guard Kevin Zeitler in trade talks.

The Giants are open for business as well. Veterans Golden Tate and Kevin Zeitler are two names that came up pretty consistently with other teams. Tate’s contract and declining production could make him difficult to move for anything significant. Zeitler, on the other hand, might fetch a return based on, again, the crying need for experienced linemen across the league.

With Big Blue falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 7, they are now 1–6 on the season and quickly seeing their NFC East hopes die before them.

Losing to divisional games against the Cowboys and Eagles puts them in a disastrous situation, one that will likely see management sell at the November 3 trade deadline.

Adding value for next year is essential, given the Giants only have five picks in the 2021 NFL draft. Next year’s draft class is stacked at multiple positions, in which the Giants are week at, including wide receiver. Adding more draft picks and developing their own talent is a necessity, but it also requires the Giants to part with some of their better players.

Breer reported that Zeitler will be on the trade block, and he has had his worst season to date, so far. Having never fallen below a 73 overall grade, via PFF, he now sits at 60.6. While this could fall back on Jason Garrett and his blocking schemes, Kevin is simply having a poor campaign, something he is not used to.

If the Giants retain him in 2021, he will count $14.5 million against the cap, which seems to be a questionable allocation of money considering how poor the unit has been.

There is a justification for retaining his services, as parting ways with Zeitler would put quarterback Daniel Jones under immense stress and potentially hurt his development even further. The Giants don’t have the depth to supplement Zeitler with a quality player, so trading him has its pros and cons.

Realistically, I would like to see more reps for Shane Lemieux, before sending Zeitler packing.

The New York Giants have an easy decision to make with Tate:

As for Golden Tate, I would be surprised if any team is willing to offer the Giants a conditional late-round pick. General manager Dave Gettleman signed Tate to replace Odell Beckham Jr. after the trade, which seemingly hasn’t gotten the job done. He had his first touchdown of the season in week 7 against Philadelphia, but it was the only catch he made the entire game. If the Giants were to keep him in 2021, which I highly doubt will happen, they would be on the hook for a $10.1M cap hit. They have an out after the 2020 campaign — the buyout with be a $4.7M cap hit.

We can all but guarantee Tate will no longer be a Giant next season, as allocating the money in a different direction is a necessity.