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Offseason In Review: New York Giants

July 26, 2026

As expected, the dawn of the John Harbaugh era brought extensive change in New York. The Giants acquired a handful of former Ravens and are set to feature a noticeably different depth chart thanks to additions and Brian Daboll-era subtractions. Question marks loom about skill-position players’ injury recoveries and first-round picks’ positional outlooks.

Even as the Giants rearranged their power structure to lure Harbaugh, they handed GM Joe Schoen an extension. As the Harbaugh-Schoen partnership prepared for the draft, the most notable offseason decision came about. As a result, a major asset came the Giants’ way — and a glaring need opened up.

Trades:

Runaway victors in the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade thanks to then-GM Dave Gettleman drafting Lawrence 17th overall, the Giants reaped benefits of having one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen anchoring its pass rush. Lawrence’s presence certainly boosted the rush prospects of Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari and Markus Golden during his tenure. After Lawrence’s stats nosedived following a return from elbow surgery, he still angled for a 2026 raise. The Giants were reluctant to provide it, keying a seminal standoff.

The eighth-year veteran requested a trade in early April, and while an initial report indicated the Giants were unlikely to grant the request, a big Bengals offer moved the team to reconsider. Lawrence, 28, and the Giants conducted contract talks during the period following his trade request; however, it does not appear the sides made notable progress.

An impasse led to Cincinnati entering the fray. Seeing a declining defense sink a Joe Burrow-centered roster, the Bengals were the only team to offer a first-round pick for the All-Pro nose tackle. Harbaugh had called Lawrence a “super, super important” player at the Combine, but after his sack total plummeted from nine (in a 12-game 2024 season) to 0.5 (in 17 2025 games), the Giants accepted the Bengals’ offer.

With the Bengals holding the No. 10 pick, that being the only first-round offer certainly became a critical part of the Giants’ decision. A cost-controlled top-10 asset — albeit in a draft the perpetually conservative Bengals deemed top-heavy enough to dangle their pick for a veteran — proved too much to pass up for a team that saw Schoen’s influence limited after the Harbaugh hire.

Two years remained on Lawrence’s four-year, $90MM extension; the guarantees on the pact had been paid out. The Bengals hammered out a one-year, $28MM extension with Lawrence. After Jordan Davis‘ Eagles extension in early March, Lawrence stood as the league’s 12th-highest-paid D-tackle. He now sits third, though the Bengals only authorized a $10MM guarantee at signing. They could move on rather easily in 2027 should Lawrence’s 2025 season prove more indicative of his future.

Lawrence earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2022 and ’23, and he was on his way to a first-team nod before suffering a dislocated elbow 12 games into the ’24 season. The Bengals will pair him with ex-Giant teammate B.J. Hill, Jonathan Allen and T.J. Slaton. The Giants’ DT outlook appears much bleaker following the trade, but scoring a top-10 pick for a disgruntled eighth-year vet can be classified as a promising development for the Harbaugh regime.

Free agency additions:

Tremaine Edmunds, ILB. Three years, $36MM ($23.7MM guaranteed)
Isaiah Likely, TE. Three years, $40MM ($20.5MM guaranteed)
Jordan Stout, P. Three years, $12.3MM ($6.32MM guaranteed)
D.J. Reader, DT. Two years, $12.5MM ($5.25MM guaranteed)
Patrick Ricard, FB. Two years, $7.63MM ($3.54MM guaranteed)
Greg Newsome, CB. One year, $8MM ($3MM guaranteed)
Darnell Mooney, WR. One year, $3MM ($3MM guaranteed)
Shelby Harris, DT. One year, $3MM ($2.66MM guaranteed)
Ar’Darius Washington, S. One year, $3MM ($1.5MM guaranteed)
Daniel Faalele, G. One year, $1.4MM ($688K guaranteed)
Calvin Austin, WR. One year, $1.5MM ($450K guaranteed)
Chris Manhertz, TE. One year, $1.49MM ($263K guaranteed)
Lucas Patrick, OL. One year, $1.49MM ($263K guaranteed)
Brandon Allen, QB. One year, $1.45MM ($250K guaranteed)
Jason Pinnock, S. One year, $1.4MM ($200K guaranteed)
Elijah Campbell, DB. One year, $1.4MM ($50K guaranteed)
Odell Beckham Jr., WR. One year, $1.3MM
Braxton Berrios, WR. One year, $1.3MM
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR. One year, $1.3MM
Josh Tupou, DL. One year, $1.3MM
Khalid Kareem, OLB. One year, $1.22MM
Sam Roberts, DL. One year, $1.22MM

Rumors connecting the Giants to ex-Harbaugh Baltimore bastions proved correct. Although Tyler Linderbaum proved out of New York’s price range, Harbaugh landed a big fish in Likely and filled out his roster with four more ex-Ravens. The Lawrence trade also triggered a quantity-based approach at defensive tackle, as the Giants struggled against the run with the All-Pro nose last season. While the new DTs, wave of former Ravens and well-known wide receiver fliers received the most attention in Big Blue’s offseason, the team’s highest guarantee went to a street free agent.

The Bears won a hotly contested derby for Edmunds’ services in 2023, authorizing a monster contract — four years, $72MM with $50MM guaranteed at signing — for the former Bills first-round pick. Edmunds was a cornerstone defender in Chicago and helped the team return to the playoffs last season. The Bears still chose to cut costs at linebacker by releasing Edmunds. That saved $15MM. Although Chicago could not find a trade taker for Edmunds, he once again generated a big market.

Reloading at linebacker this offseason, the Giants began that overhaul with a hefty Edmunds guarantee. Edmunds is entering Year 9 as a pro, but since he came into the league at 20, he still had two more seasons in his 20s to market. That undoubtedly proved valuable, with the Raiders and Titans also showing interest.

Among non-rookie ILB contracts, Edmunds secured the eighth-highest fully guaranteed figure. He threatened the numbers first-time UFAs Quay Walker and Devin Lloyd scored. The eight-year NFL starter landed on his feet in the Big Apple, and Harbaugh — after seeing ex-Bears LB cornerstone Roquan Smith transform the Ravens’ defense — will hope Edmunds can help recharge the Giants’ defense.

The youngest of ex-tight end Ferrell Edmunds‘ three NFL-playing sons, Tremaine started 45 games with Chicago and proved remarkably consistent. He finished with 113, 110 and 112 tackles in his three Bears slates. He proved a dynamic deterrent for passing attacks as well, twice finishing with four-interception seasons. Edmunds’ 2027 compensation is nearly fully guaranteed at signing.

PFR’s No. 16-ranked free agent, Likely topped the tight end market in guaranteed money. No one else in this year’s TE class sniffed Likely’s $26MM in total guarantees — a $5.5MM 2027 guarantee vests next March — and the former Mark Andrews sidekick/fantasy nuisance’s contract carries the sixth-highest guarantee among veteran deals. The Giants have seen sporadic aid come from Theo Johnson, but the former fourth-round pick should see his pass-game pie slice shrink thanks to the Harbaugh-Likely reunion.

When Harbaugh was alongside Eric DeCosta running the Ravens, the team discussed an extension with Likely. But not much progress came out of those talks during the coach’s final Maryland months. While the franchise tag was floated as a possibility, a November rumor pointed Likely out of town in free agency. After the Ravens gave Andrews a second extension in December, Likely hit the market. An early-March rumor hinted at Likely being too expensive for the Giants, but Harbaugh approved a big payday.

Likely is coming off a season delayed by a broken foot. He averaged a career-low 21.9 receiving yards per game, scoring just one touchdown (though, a TD against the Steelers being controversially overturned proved pivotal for Harbaugh’s fate). He scored six TDs in 2024, teaming with Andrews to form a potent TE duo.

Likely, 26, will now team with Johnson, as more Giants two-TE sets are expected. Also a former fourth-round pick, Johnson is under contract through 2027. He also has Likely’s top receiving season beat, having totaled 528 yards last year. After seeing little from the Darren Waller trade, the Giants suddenly appear deep at this position.

The Giants met with both Reader and Harris before trading Lawrence. Neither signed until after the team traded its former D-line anchor. The Giants, who ranked 31st against the run last season, appear vulnerable after the deal. They will hope Reader, an injury-prone run stuffer, and Harris — entering an age-35 season — can provide stopgap help. With no DTs coming until Round 6 of the draft, Reader and Harris are carrying more responsibility than expected — based on both veterans’ post-draft signings.

Two teams previously prioritized Reader to boost their run defenses. He landed a four-year, $53MM Bengals pact and, despite suffering a second quadriceps tear, fetched a two-year, $22MM Lions accord in 2024. Reader proved durable in Detroit, missing only two games. Pro Football Focus ranked Reader as a top-11 interior D-lineman from 2021-23 and slotted him inside the top 36 during his two Lions years.

Harbaugh’s Ravens tangled with Harris on Jim Schwartz‘s Browns defenses for three seasons. A former Broncos mainstay used in the Russell Wilson trade, Harris is one of this era’s top pass-batdown artists. He has 40 deflections since 2017. Only two active front-seven players — Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt — have that beat.

Harris started 25 games in Cleveland. With Roy Robertson-Harris suffering an Achilles tear this offseason — albeit still having a chance to return this year — the Giants may need more from its older D-line Harris. The team really needs 2025 third-rounder Darius Alexander to take a big step forward, as the Lawrence trade created a scramble for available (and aging) talent.

Harbaugh observed two Faalele starter seasons and will give the mammoth guard another shot. The league was unimpressed with Faalele, as his low-end contract reveals. Also adding Patrick to as a possible guard stopgap or interior swingman, the Giants showed interest in Alijah Vera-Tucker. Negotiations broke down, leading the injury-prone ex-Jet to the Patriots (on a three-year, $42MM deal with $21MM at signing). After losing out there, the Giants set their sights much lower at guard.

If either Faalele or Patrick wins the RG job, that victor would not likely hold it for long. The team’s Francis Mauigoa draft choice will give that position some stability, after years of guard inconsistency. It is not out of the question Faalele or Patrick becomes a cheap LG solution, as a rumor indicated Jon Runyan Jr.. — who is entering the final season of a three-year, $30MM deal — may not be a roster lock.

Runyan, 29 in August, has been a guard starter for five seasons. But the Giants could save $9.25MM by releasing him before his salary becomes guaranteed in early September. With Jaxson Dart development headlining the Giants’ 2026 mission, it is unlikely Runyan would get the boot if he clearly outplays the FA additions. But if it’s close, that is a battle to monitor in training camp.

The team that turned Beckham into a star will grant him what looks like his final NFL chance. The Harbaugh hire certainly helped Beckham — out of football in 2025 — earn this opportunity, as the declining wideout played for the Ravens in 2023.

That offseason, Beckham received a $15MM guarantee — the most the Ravens have ever guaranteed a veteran WR (well, until the expected Zay Flowers extension) — and played reasonably well, totaling 565 yards at a career-best 16.1 per catch. The Ravens did not re-sign him, and he wildly underwhelmed in Miami. The Dolphins waived Beckham during an injury-truncated season, and he spent the next 18 months out of the league.

Far removed from his New York apex, Beckham is part of a crowded receiver room. The Giants are expected to use Austin as their starting slot, reprising the role he held in Pittsburgh, while Mooney posted a 1,000-yard season during Matt Nagy‘s final year as Bears HC (2021). Mooney could be a threat to Darius Slayton‘s status, though a player drafted two regimes ago and re-signed pre-Harbaugh is due a $9.75MM guarantee on a $12.25MM base salary.

After an injury-plagued 2025, Slayton figures to receive another chance. But a trade would make sense, especially if Malik Nabers recovers from his ACL tear by Week 1. Nabers failing to do so (more on that below) would open a door for Beckham, who once signed a receiver-record extension with the Giants. The five-time 1,000-yard receiver has not been the same since a Super Bowl LVI ACL tear.

Harbaugh and ex-lieutenant Todd Monken competed for Ricard, but the Giants beat out the Browns for the All-Pro fullback. The Greg Roman-era Ravens used Ricard extensively, going as far as giving him a 64% snap share (unheard of for modern FBs) in 2022. While Monken used him less, he still cleared 430 snaps in 2023 and ’24. (Roman is now a Giants senior offensive assistant.) Nagy has been less interested in fullback usage, but it certainly appears that will change this year.

The Ravens’ Sam Koch successor, Stout is now the NFL’s highest-paid punter. New York signed him on the same day it released punter Jamie Gillan, who had signed a three-year, $9MM extension in 2025. Stout surpassed Seattle’s Michael Dickson by landing a $4.1MM-per-year deal.

Washington missed most of last season because of a May Achilles tear. This blunted the former UDFA’s momentum after he had broken into Baltimore’s starting lineup during the 2024 season. In place as a third safety option behind Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin, Washington will aim to boost his value ahead of a possible 2027 free agency return.

Re-signings:

Jermaine Eluemunor, RT. Three years, $39MM ($25.45MM guaranteed)
Micah McFadden, ILB. One year, $3.75MM ($2.9MM guaranteed)
Joshua Ezeudu, OL. One year, $1.3MM ($410K guaranteed)
Gunner Olszewski, WR. One year, $1.4MM ($300K guaranteed)
Aaron Stinnie, G. One year, $1.49MM ($63K guaranteed)
Isaiah Hodgins, WR. One year, $1.24MM
Evan Neal, OL. One year, $1.22MM
Caleb Murphy, ILB. One year, $1.15MM
Art Green, CB. One year, $1.08MM

Initially slotted at guard upon joining the Giants in 2024, Eluemunor quickly moved back to right tackle — his primary Raiders position — in New York. Eluemunor, 31, sought a two-year contract in 2024 — one of the overlooked gems from HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason one-off — to have another chance to cash in down the line. That proved wise, as a market awaited the veteran tackle.

Eluemunor played for $990K in 2021, $1.25MM in ’22 and $3MM in ’23. It turned out he was undervalued in Las Vegas, and he nearly doubled his midlevel 2024 Giants deal (two years, $14MM) this offseason. He fared best among RT options in this year’s free agency class.

Eluemunor is best known for his time in New York and Las Vegas, but he was a Baltimore draftee. Harbaugh’s team drafted Eluemunor in the 2017 fifth round but traded him to the Patriots before the 2019 season. The resurgent blocker now has 76 career starts — including 31 as a Giant — and has proven to be one of Schoen’s few success stories as GM.

The Giants ranked 11th in pass block win rate last season. Andrew Thomas‘ return at left tackle provided the biggest boost, but New York has been able to count on a right tackle for the first time in many years. PFF assigned a top-20 pass-blocking grade to Eluemunor in 2025, and he secured two guaranteed years on his second Giants contract.

The player Schoen drafted to be a long-term RT received no guaranteed money and may be on his way out. After spending the 2025 season as a healthy scratch, Neal — converted to guard last year — predictably generated little free agency interest. He could not beat out marginal starter Greg Van Roten for the RG job.

Even after the Giants shopped Neal in trades, they brought him back in free agency. His offseason did not go well, and it looks like the former No. 7 overall pick will be released in a few weeks. The practice squad might be the only way Neal sticks with New York.

Notable losses:

Even after using a top-10 pick on Nabers and re-signing Slayton to a $12MM-per-year deal in 2025, the Giants expressed interest in retaining Robinson. It did not seem especially realistic for Big Blue to retain him, and the ascending slot receiver’s market reached $17.5MM per year. The Titans gave the 5-foot-8 talent $38MM guaranteed to reunite with Daboll .

The new Titans OC was in his first months on the Giants’ HC job when they drafted Robinson in the 2022 second round. It took a while before the pick paid off, but the Kentucky native helped Dart considerably last season. Robinson reached 1,014 receiving yards and, perhaps more importantly, was not merely a station-to-station target. After averaging 7.5 yards per reception in 2024, Robinson finished his Giants career with an 11.0 YPC figure.

The Giants aimed considerably lower to replace Robinson, signing Austin, but they will deploy less 11 personnel — thanks to formations featuring both Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson and/or Patrick Ricard — in 2026. That lessens the need to spend on a slot receiver.

New York negotiated with Flott, but the 2022 Daboll-Schoen draftee joined Robinson in trekking to Tennessee. Flott moved from the slot to an outside role early in his career, and the Giants were unable to keep him off the field (not for lack of trying). Flott usurped Deonte Banks and started 14 games last season.

The 6-foot-2 corner, like Robinson, had age on his side in free agency. Also heading into an age-25 season, Flott fetched a three-year, $45MM pact that came with $32MM fully guaranteed. Similarly to how they proceeded at their slot receiver spot, the Giants retooled with lower-cost options at their CB2 spot.

The Giants gave Okereke a four-year, $40MM deal in 2023 but chose to move on and save $9MM in cap space ahead of the contract’s final season. That helped New York afford Edmunds, who will replace Okereke as the team’s highest-paid ILB. Okereke posted 149- and 143-tackle seasons in his two 17-game years (2023, ’25), and PFF ranked him as a top-15 off-ball LB in 2023 and ’24. Unlike Edmunds, however, Okereke encountered a cold market after becoming a cap casualty. He remains unsigned.

Gano could not stay on the field during his three-year, $16.5MM extension. Not long after signing that deal in 2023, Gano — who missed all of the 2019 season before joining the Giants in 2020 — missed 28 games due to various injuries. The Giants signed and soon released Jason Sanders, eating $300K in dead money; the ex-Dolphins kicker subsequently joined the Jets. Rookie UDFA Dominic Zvada holds an early lead on Ben Sauls — one of the four Big Blue kickers last season — in the team’s kicking competition.

Given a two-year, $12MM deal last March, Hudson became the team’s Week 1 left tackle while Andrew Thomas finished foot rehab. The ex-Browns blocker imploded in Week 2, committing four penalties — including two unnecessary roughness fouls — on a first-half drive. The Giants benched him and did not use him again in a situation of consequence. Hudson signed with the Patriots.

Wilson did not improve his Hall of Fame chances as a Giant, seeing a yearslong decline lead to a benching after three games. The Giants demoted the accomplished vet — who played on a one-year, $10.5MM deal — to the third-string level, using Jameis Winston to replace an injured Dart in November. Winston, 32, is signed for one more season.

A Super Bowl winner who became a more polished passer in the years following the Seahawks’ back-to-back NFC championships, Wilson endured a shocking decline in 2022 upon being traded to the Broncos. Although Wilson showed in 2023 he was better than the version Nathaniel Hackett coached, he more than doubled the previous single-player dead money hit after being released in March 2024 (Tua Tagovailoa‘s $99.2MM blow eclipsed Wilson’s record in March).

The 37-year-old retiree did win starting jobs for the Steelers and Giants over the next two seasons, but Canton voters will need to determine if the mobile passer did enough during his Seahawks stint to warrant induction. CBS hired Wilson to replace Matt Ryan, who left broadcasting to head up the Falcons’ front office.

Draft:

Round 1, No. 5: Arvell Reese (EDGE/LB, Ohio State) (signed)
Round 1, No. 10 (from Bengals): Francis Mauigoa (T, Miami) (signed)
Round 2, No. 37: Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee) (signed)
Round 3, No. 74 (from Chiefs via Browns): Malachi Fields (WR, Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 6, No. 186: Bobby Jamison-Travis (DT, Auburn) (signed)
Round 6, No. 192 (from Dolphins): JC Davis (T, Illinois) (signed)
Round 6, No. 193 (from Cowboys): Jack Kelly (LB, BYU) (signed)

A flood of Giants rumors emerged when they held one top-10 pick; the team adding a second shifted them into overdrive. The Giants were connected to Mauigoa, Jeremiyah Love, Carnell Tate, Sonny Styles, Spencer Fano, Vega Ioane, Caleb Downs and Jordyn Tyson by the time draft night hit. Not much in the way of Reese ties emerged, largely because he was expected to be off the board by the time the Giants went on the clock.

With the Cardinals taking Love at 3 and the Titans completing a Tate-over-Reese debate by drafting the Buckeyes receiver prospect, the Giants continued to stockpile EDGE prospects. Although Reese played more off-ball ‘backer than edge defender at Ohio State, his potential as a pass rusher rocketed him up the board. The Schoen regime has now used three top-five picks on OLBs in five drafts. While the Giants certainly did not have a need there, an argument exists for Reese as a value pick.

The Jets faced an Aidan Hutchinson-or-Travon Walker-like decision at No. 2 overall; unlike the Jaguars in 2022, Gang Green took the more productive pass rusher. Reese, who played only 97 rush snaps during his final Buckeyes season, brings tantalizing traits. As Micah Parsons‘ superstar ascent after starting his career as an off-ball ‘backer, Reese’s hybrid skillset became coveted. He heads to the rare team with an EDGE surplus. Even though Reese eyed an NFL future on the edge, the Giants will start his career alongside Edmunds off the ball.

If no Kayvon Thibodeaux trade occurs by Week 1, New York will be in the unusual position of potentially struggling to find pass-rushing snaps for a top-five pick. The team rosters Brian Burns and 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter. Teams generally do not choose ILBs that high, and a host of fifth-year option decisions — no team has exercised an ILB option since the Buccaneers picked up Devin White‘s in 2022 — support the value gap between rush and non-rush ‘backers.

That will make Reese’s development interesting, and he is not even the only Giants first-round pick whose positional status will be worth monitoring closely. Mauigoa excelled at right tackle for the Hurricanes, helping them to a surprise CFP title game bid, but the Giants will kick him inside after re-signing Eluemunor. The Browns considered Mauigoa at No. 9 but chose Utah’s Spencer Fano. The Giants then deemed the college tackle too good to pass up.

College tackles can certainly become impact NFL guards. We have seen it fairly recently with mid-2010s draftees Zack Martin and Brandon Scherff becoming Pro Bowl mainstays after converting. The Giants will hope Mauigoa, whom they were planning to draft at 5 had Reese been off the board, can solve a long-running guard issue.

Going as far back as when the team’s Super Bowl XLVI O-line splintered in the early 2010s, the Giants have not enjoyed a long-term guard stay. The closest the team came was Justin Pugh, who toggled between guard and right tackle, and he left after his fifth-year option season (2017). A run of draft and free agency misses — Runyan may be a miss in progress — has commenced since.

As our Ely Allen — whose mock draft sent Mauigoa to the Giants — indicated on draft night, many had projected Mauigoa as an NFL guard despite his three-year run as Miami’s RT starter. Mauigoa had been closely tied to potentially filling the Cardinals’ RT need at No. 3; however, concern over a rumored back surgery Mauigoa may need at some point keyed a bit of a drop. The Giants do not appear worried about this, and it would surprise if Mauigoa was not at least a two-year RG starter — before potentially kicking outside once Eluemunor’s guarantees are paid out by 2028.

For the fourth time in five years, the Giants used a first-, second or third-round pick on a corner. Flott (Round 3, 2022) left in free agency, while Banks (Round 1, 2023) hit the trade block before last year’s deadline. Andru Phillips (Round 3, 2024) serves as Big Blue’s slot corner. Hood is competing against Banks and free agency addition Greg Newsome for the perimeter spot opposite Adebo.

While Hood may be behind the two veterans entering camp, this Giants regime choosing him in the top 40 carries weight. Banks profiles as a trade candidate, while Newsome — whom the Browns dealt to the Jaguars before last year’s deadline — is on a “prove it” deal with a partial guarantee. The Giants are clearly planning on Hood commandeering a starting role opposite Paulson Adebo soon; the team rejected trade offers for No. 40 due to the former Tennessee, Colorado and Auburn CB remaining on the board.

With the Volunteers losing Jermod McCoy to an ACL tear during the 2025 offseason, Hood shined and raised his draft stock. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board slotted Hood 21st in this class. With Adebo’s guarantees done after 2026 and neither Banks nor Newsome signed beyond this season, Hood represents a hopeful coverage pillar for the Harbaugh era.

Nabers will likely remain the Giants’ No. 1 receiver well into Harbaugh’s tenure, but the rest of the veterans on this roster may not be long for New York. Jalin Hyatt appears on the wrong side of the roster bubble, while Darius Slayton‘s guarantees are up after 2026 (the Gettleman-era draftee will be a name to watch at the deadline if the Giants start poorly). With a host of other wideouts on one-year deals, the team climbing 31 spots to nab Fields — one spot in front of an apparently interested Dolphins team — stands out at the position.

A big-bodied target, Fields topped 800 receiving yards in 2023 and ’24 as a part of Virginia’s passing attack. He transferred to Notre Dame and worked with high-end prospect CJ Carr, averaging 17.5 yards per catch; though, his yardage total dropped to 630. Jeremiah’s No. 60-ranked prospect, the 6-foot-4 Fields can be brought along slowly thanks to the presences of Slayton and Mooney. But a long-term role opposite Nabers will be the Giants’ goal here.

Coaching/front office:

Few GMs to receive extensions have fared worse in the modern NFL. After a fluky 9-7-1 2022 season that produced a playoff win, the Giants have gone 13-38. They have missed badly on first-round picks (Neal, Banks) and let prime talent leave; beyond the Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney calls, the Giants watched Julian Love and Leonard Williams make big impacts on the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning roster. The Daniel Jones contract also happened.

Prior to the May extension, Schoen had seen his power stripped significantly. After Giants GMs had reported to ownership for ages, Harbaugh made it a deal point to do so; both New York power brokers now report to ownership. Schoen also came up as a post-draft firing candidate, as Harbaugh’s arrival preceded the Giants hiring Dawn Aponte from the league office. Aponte’s arrival also led to a reduction in Schoen responsibilities. Many in the Giants’ building now report to Aponte, per a February report, with Schoen focused on scouting.

Nevertheless, the Giants extended Schoen on a deal — per veteran reporter Gary Myers — running through 2029. One year remained on his initial Giants contract. Although offset language is commonly in staffers’ contracts, that is a substantial commitment to an exec with Schoen’s track record. Harbaugh has praised the hire, after ownership letting Schoen run the coaching search — after the Bills coworker tied to him previously (Daboll) was fired in-season — proved telling.

Then again, we have seen teams swerve after awarding GM extensions in the not-so-distant past. The Cardinals and Titans respectively bailed on Steve Keim and Jon Robinson months after authorizing new deals. Given Harbaugh’s power, Schoen would profile as a fall guy if the Giants are unable to improve quickly.

Extensions and restructures:

HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason effort revealed how the Giants moved from letting Barkley walk to signing Singletary, an ex-Daboll Bills charge, to a three-year deal worth $16.5MM. Despite the former third-rounder’s starting roles on the Bills and Texans, the move backfired. Tyrone Tracy supplanted Singletary as New York’s starter in 2025, and Cam Skattebo — when he was briefly healthy — shook up the team’s backfield further.

Singletary came up as a cut candidate this winter, but he agreed to trim his salary to the veteran minimum — with no guaranteed money — to avoid that. He will have another chance to stick around, with the pay reduction — and the Giants exiting the draft with no RBs added — removing the risk on the team’s part.

Other:

PFR’s Giants Offseason Outlook mentioned Thibodeaux as a trade candidate, and this was before the team added yet another top-five pick with edge-rushing capabilities. Teams indeed discussed the 2022 No. 5 overall pick with New York, but the Giants held firm. The Saints are believed to have offered a fourth-round choice for Thibodeaux, but the Giants held out for a second-rounder. Considering Thibodeaux’s spotty resume, that looks like an unrealistic price point. But with no extension likely for the contract-year rusher, Big Blue hoping he can boost his trade value before the deadline remains logical.

A host of contract-year edge defenders have been dealt for at least a third-round pick in recent years. Jaelan Phillips was moved for that return last year, while Chase Young went for a third in 2023. Edges with better resumes (Bradley Chubb, Montez Sweat, Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney) have brought more in deadline trades, but the Phillips and Young swaps show what can be had for an inconsistent rusher with first-round talent.

Thibodeaux, 25, has missed 12 games over the past two seasons. Seven came last year, with a shoulder sprain sidelining him in November. The Giants are beginning Reese at inside linebacker, but with Burns and Carter entrenched, Thibodeaux represents the logical move piece to free up rush snaps for the rookie.

As the Giants’ EDGE setup looks like a poor man’s version of their early-2010s armada that featured Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul, Thibodeaux will probably be elsewhere in 2027. Will the Giants attempt to move him before the season or truly have Reese see most of his time at ILB while attempting to boost Thibodeaux’s trade market by the November deadline?

A much lower-stakes trade chip, Banks had no chance of seeing his fifth-year option exercised. The Giants played Flott over him last season, after not seeing much from the Maryland alum from 2023-24. While he still technically has a chance at a starting gig — new secondary coach Addison Lynch talked up his athleticism during the offseason — but Newsome and Hood arrived under Harbaugh. Although Banks is not quite on Neal’s level as a draft bust, the clock is ticking here. Harbaugh moving on for a late-round pick is not hard to foresee.

The Giants were believed to have negotiated with the Chiefs on McDuffie but were ultimately unwilling to pay the trade price. The two-time All-Pro went for first-, third-, fifth- and sixth-rounders. The Rams have since given the fifth-year player a market-topping extension. Some skepticism emerged about the Giants’ willingness to pay top dollar for a corner, and their Newsome investment does support that.

Though, it is interesting the team engaged in talks with the Chiefs. Regardless of how serious the conversations were, the organization appeared to be aiming much higher than Newsome. Had the Rams not surrendered yet another first-rounder in a trade, Hood probably does not become a Giant in the draft.

Harbaugh did not beam with optimism regarding Nabers’ timetable. The Giants’ top weapon did not suffer a clean ACL tear last September, complicating his road back. However, the third-year receiver avoided the active/PUP list. The Giants having Nabers back on time would be a boon for Dart’s development. It would also stand to hurt Beckham’s chances of making the 53-man roster out of camp.

The Cardinals prevented the Giants from having a crack at Jeremiyah Love, but the team was also connected to Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne. Walker ended up pricing himself out of New York’s range, signing a three-year deal worth $43.1MM with Kansas City. New York ended up not using a draft pick on a running back or signing one in free agency. Skattebo, who suffered a broken and dislocated ankle in October, joined Nabers in avoiding the active/PUP list. He is expected to begin the season on time and as Big Blue’s RB1. The what-ifs in free agency and the draft raise the stakes for the second-year player, though, especially with a new decisionmaker calling the shots.

Top 10 cap charges for 2026:

Paulson Adebo, CB: $24.2MM
Brian Burns, OLB: $21.38MM
Jevon Holland, S: $18.51MM
Darius Slayton, WR: $15.91MM
Kayvon Thibodeaux, OLB: $14.75MM
Andrew Thomas, LT: $13.03MM
Jon Runyan Jr., G: $11.75MM
Abdul Carter, OLB: $10.29MM
Arvell Reese, LB: $8.7MM
Greg Newsome, CB: $8MM

Harbaugh being 63 does not point to the Giants settling in for a lengthy rebuild. After a run of HC misses post-Tom Coughlin, the franchise did what it needed to and landed a Super Bowl-winning leader. If Dart continues to develop after a promising rookie year, the Giants building an immediate playoff contender around their QB’s rookie contract is realistic.

The Eagles still carry a strong roster, and the Cowboys threw plenty of resources at a defense that held a high-powered offense back last season. The Commanders made the NFC championship game in Jayden Daniels‘ previous healthy season. New York’s path does not look smooth. But undeniable optimism should come from the Harbaugh hire along with the presences of Dart and a deep array of pass rushers. The Lawrence trade might hurt in the short term, but the Giants will bank on their Reese-Mauigoa first-round haul strengthening their foundation as an aging coach attempts a quick turnaround.

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