As expected, the dawn of the John Harbaugh era brought extensive change in Latest York. The Giants acquired a handful of former Ravens and are set to feature a noticeably different depth chart due to additions and Brian Daboll-era subtractions. Query marks loom about skill-position players’ injury recoveries and first-round picks’ positional outlooks.
Whilst the Giants rearranged their power structure to lure Harbaugh, they handed GM Joe Schoen an extension. Because the Harbaugh-Schoen partnership prepared for the draft, essentially the most notable offseason decision got here about. Consequently, a serious asset got here the Giants’ way — and a glaring need opened up.
Trades:
Runaway victors within the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade due to then-GM Dave Gettleman drafting Lawrence seventeenth overall, the Giants reaped advantages of getting one among the NFL’s best defensive linemen anchoring its pass rush. Lawrence’s presence definitely boosted the frenzy 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 supply 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 giant Bengals offer moved the team to reconsider. Lawrence, 28, and the Giants conducted contract talks throughout the period following his trade request; nevertheless, it doesn’t appear the perimeters 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 one team to supply a first-round pick for the All-Pro nose tackle. Harbaugh had called Lawrence a “super, super vital” player on the Mix, 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 one first-round offer definitely became a critical a part of the Giants’ decision. A value-controlled top-10 asset — albeit in a draft the perpetually conservative Bengals deemed top-heavy enough to dangle their pick for a veteran — proved an excessive amount of 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 because the league’s Twelfth-highest-paid D-tackle. He now sits third, though the Bengals only authorized a $10MM guarantee at signing. They might move on relatively 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 option 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 will 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 12 months, $8MM ($3MM guaranteed)
- Darnell Mooney, WR. One 12 months, $3MM ($3MM guaranteed)
- Shelby Harris, DT. One 12 months, $3MM ($2.66MM guaranteed)
- Ar’Darius Washington, S. One 12 months, $3MM ($1.5MM guaranteed)
- Daniel Faalele, G. One 12 months, $1.4MM ($688K guaranteed)
- Calvin Austin, WR. One 12 months, $1.5MM ($450K guaranteed)
- Chris Manhertz, TE. One 12 months, $1.49MM ($263K guaranteed)
- Lucas Patrick, OL. One 12 months, $1.49MM ($263K guaranteed)
- Brandon Allen, QB. One 12 months, $1.45MM ($250K guaranteed)
- Jason Pinnock, S. One 12 months, $1.4MM ($200K guaranteed)
- Elijah Campbell, DB. One 12 months, $1.4MM ($50K guaranteed)
- Odell Beckham Jr., WR. One 12 months, $1.3MM
- Braxton Berrios, WR. One 12 months, $1.3MM
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR. One 12 months, $1.3MM
- Josh Tupou, DL. One 12 months, $1.3MM
- Khalid Kareem, OLB. One 12 months, $1.22MM
- Sam Roberts, DL. One 12 months, $1.22MM
Rumors connecting the Giants to ex-Harbaugh Baltimore bastions proved correct. Although Tyler Linderbaum proved out of Latest York’s price range, Harbaugh landed a giant fish in Likely and filled out his roster with 4 more ex-Ravens. The Lawrence trade also triggered a quantity-based approach at defensive tackle, because the Giants struggled against the run with the All-Pro nose last season. While the brand new DTs, wave of former Ravens and well-known wide receiver fliers received essentially 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 — 4 years, $72MM with $50MM guaranteed at signing — for the previous Bills first-round pick. Edmunds was a cornerstone defender in Chicago and helped the team return to the playoffs last season. The Bears still selected to chop costs at linebacker by releasing Edmunds. That saved $15MM. Although Chicago couldn’t discover a trade taker for Edmunds, he once more generated a giant market.
Reloading at linebacker this offseason, the Giants began that overhaul with a hefty Edmunds guarantee. Edmunds is entering Yr 9 as a professional, but since he got here into the league at 20, he still had two more seasons in his 20s to market. That undoubtedly proved helpful, with the Raiders and Titans also showing interest.
Amongst 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 within the Big Apple, and Harbaugh — after seeing ex-Bears LB cornerstone Roquan Smith transform the Ravens’ defense — will hope Edmunds will help recharge the Giants’ defense.
The youngest of ex-tight end Ferrell Edmunds‘ three NFL-playing sons, Tremaine began 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 ending with four-interception seasons. Edmunds’ 2027 compensation is almost fully guaranteed at signing.
PFR’s No. 16-ranked free agent, Likely topped the tight end market in guaranteed money. Nobody else on this 12 months’s TE class sniffed Likely’s $26MM in total guarantees — a $5.5MM 2027 guarantee vests next March — and the previous Mark Andrews sidekick/fantasy nuisance’s contract carries the sixth-highest guarantee amongst veteran deals. The Giants have seen sporadic aid come from Theo Johnson, but the previous fourth-round pick should see his pass-game pie slice shrink due 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 got here out of those talks throughout 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 giant payday.
Likely is coming off a season delayed by a broken foot. He averaged a career-low 21.9 receiving yards per game, scoring only 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 12 months. After seeing little from the Darren Waller trade, the Giants suddenly appear deep at this position.
The Giants met with each Reader and Harris before trading Lawrence. Neither signed until after the team traded its former D-line anchor. The Giants, who ranked thirty first against the run last season, appear vulnerable after the deal. They are going to 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 each veterans’ post-draft signings.
Two teams previously prioritized Reader to spice up 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 contained in the top 36 during his two Lions years.
Harbaugh’s Ravens tangled with Harris on Jim Schwartz‘s Browns defenses for 3 seasons. A former Broncos mainstay utilized in the Russell Wilson trade, Harris is one among this era’s top pass-batdown artists. He has 40 deflections since 2017. Only two lively front-seven players — Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt — have that beat.
Harris began 25 games in Cleveland. With Roy Robertson-Harris suffering an Achilles tear this offseason — albeit still having a likelihood to return this 12 months — the Giants may have more from its older D-line Harris. The team really needs 2025 third-rounder Darius Alexander to take a giant step forward, because the Lawrence trade created a scramble for available (and aging) talent.
Harbaugh observed two Faalele starter seasons and can give the mammoth guard one other 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 take care of $21MM at signing). After losing on the market, the Giants set their sights much lower at guard.
If either Faalele or Patrick wins the RG job, that victor would not going hold it for long. The team’s Francis Mauigoa draft selection will give that position some stability, after years of guard inconsistency. It shouldn’t be out of the query Faalele or Patrick becomes an inexpensive LG solution, as a rumor indicated Jon Runyan Jr.. — who’s entering the ultimate season of a three-year, $30MM deal — might not be a roster lock.
Runyan, 29 in August, has been a guard starter for five seasons. However 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’s unlikely Runyan would get the boot if he clearly outplays the FA additions. But when it’s close, that may be a battle to observe in training camp.
The team that turned Beckham right into a star will grant him what looks like his final NFL likelihood. The Harbaugh hire definitely helped Beckham — out of football in 2025 — earn this chance, because the declining wideout played for the Ravens in 2023.
That offseason, Beckham received a $15MM guarantee — essentially 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 didn’t re-sign him, and he wildly underwhelmed in Miami. The Dolphins waived Beckham during an injury-truncated season, and he spent the following 18 months out of the league.
Far faraway from his Latest York apex, Beckham is an element of a crowded receiver room. The Giants are expected to make use of 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 12 months as Bears HC (2021). Mooney could possibly 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 one other likelihood. But a trade would make sense, especially if Malik Nabers recovers from his ACL tear by Week 1. Nabers failing to achieve this (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 identical since a Super Bowl LVI ACL tear.
Harbaugh and ex-lieutenant Todd Monken competed for Ricard, however the Giants beat out the Browns for the All-Pro fullback. The Greg Roman-era Ravens used Ricard extensively, going so far as giving him a 64% snap share (unheard of for contemporary 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 keen on fullback usage, however it definitely appears that can change this 12 months.
The Ravens’ Sam Koch successor, Stout is now the NFL’s highest-paid punter. Latest York signed him on the identical 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 due to a May Achilles tear. This blunted the previous UDFA’s momentum after he had broken into Baltimore’s starting lineup throughout the 2024 season. In place as a 3rd safety option behind Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin, Washington will aim to spice up 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 12 months, $3.75MM ($2.9MM guaranteed)
- Joshua Ezeudu, OL. One 12 months, $1.3MM ($410K guaranteed)
- Gunner Olszewski, WR. One 12 months, $1.4MM ($300K guaranteed)
- Aaron Stinnie, G. One 12 months, $1.49MM ($63K guaranteed)
- Isaiah Hodgins, WR. One 12 months, $1.24MM
- Evan Neal, OL. One 12 months, $1.22MM
- Caleb Murphy, ILB. One 12 months, $1.15MM
- Art Green, CB. One 12 months, $1.08MM
Initially slotted at guard upon joining the Giants in 2024, Eluemunor quickly moved back to right tackle — his primary Raiders position — in Latest York. Eluemunor, 31, sought a two-year contract in 2024 — one among the missed gems from HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason one-off — to have one other likelihood to money in down the road. That proved smart, 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 amongst RT options on this 12 months’s free agency class.
Eluemunor is best known for his time in Latest York and Las Vegas, but he was a Baltimore draftee. Harbaugh’s team drafted Eluemunor within the 2017 fifth round but traded him to the Patriots before the 2019 season. The resurgent blocker now has 76 profession starts — including 31 as a Giant — and has proven to be one among Schoen’s few success stories as GM.
The Giants ranked eleventh in pass block win rate last season. Andrew Thomas‘ return at left tackle provided the most important boost, but Latest York has been capable of count on a right tackle for the primary time in a few 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 should be on his way out. After spending the 2025 season as a healthy scratch, Neal — converted to protect last 12 months — predictably generated little free agency interest. He couldn’t 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 didn’t go well, and it looks like the previous No. 7 overall pick might be released in a couple of weeks. The practice squad is likely to be the one way Neal sticks with Latest York.
Notable losses:
- Daniel Bellinger, TE
- Dane Belton, S
- Chris Board, ILB
- Swayze Bozeman, ILB (waived)
- Elijah Chatman, DL (waived)
- DJ Davidson, DL
- Victor Dimukeje, OLB
- Cor’Dale Flott, CB
- Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, LB
- Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR
- Tomon Fox, OLB
- Graham Gano, K (released)
- Jamie Gillan, P (released)
- Neville Hewitt, ILB
- James Hudson, T (released)
- Anthony Johnson Jr., S
- Casey Kreiter, LS
- Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DL
- Bobby Okereke, ILB (released)
- Wan’Dale Robinson, WR
- Jason Sanders, K (released)
- Austin Schlottmann, C
- Greg Van Roten, G
- Russell Wilson, QB (retired)
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 didn’t seem especially realistic for Big Blue to retain him, and the ascending slot receiver’s market reached $17.5MM per 12 months. The Titans gave the 5-foot-8 talent $38MM guaranteed to reunite with Daboll .
The brand new Titans OC was in his first months on the Giants’ HC job once they drafted Robinson within the 2022 second round. It took some time before the pick paid off, however 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 goal. After averaging 7.5 yards per reception in 2024, Robinson finished his Giants profession with an 11.0 YPC figure.
The Giants aimed considerably lower to switch Robinson, signing Austin, but they are going to deploy less 11 personnel — due to formations featuring each Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson and/or Patrick Ricard — in 2026. That lessens the necessity to spend on a slot receiver.
Latest York negotiated with Flott, however the 2022 Daboll-Schoen draftee joined Robinson in trekking to Tennessee. Flott moved from the slot to an outdoor role early in his profession, and the Giants were unable to maintain him off the sphere (not for lack of trying). Flott usurped Deonte Banks and commenced 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 got here 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 selected to maneuver on and save $9MM in cap space ahead of the contract’s final season. That helped Latest York afford Edmunds, who will replace Okereke because 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, nevertheless, Okereke encountered a chilly market after becoming a cap casualty. He stays unsigned.
Gano couldn’t stay on the sphere during his three-year, $16.5MM extension. Not long after signing that deal in 2023, Gano — who missed the entire 2019 season before joining the Giants in 2020 — missed 28 games attributable to various injuries. The Giants signed and shortly 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 among the 4 Big Blue kickers last season — within 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 4 penalties — including two unnecessary roughness fouls — on a first-half drive. The Giants benched him and didn’t use him again in a situation of consequence. Hudson signed with the Patriots.
Wilson didn’t improve his Hall of Fame probabilities as a Giant, seeing a yearslong decline result in a benching after three games. The Giants demoted the completed vet — who played on a one-year, $10.5MM deal — to the third-string level, using Jameis Winston to switch an injured Dart in November. Winston, 32, is signed for yet one more season.
A Super Bowl winner who became a more polished passer within 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 higher than the version Nathaniel Hackett coached, he greater 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 following two seasons, but Canton voters might want to determine if the mobile passer did enough during his Seahawks stint to warrant induction. CBS hired Wilson to switch Matt Ryan, who left broadcasting to move 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 once 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 point draft night hit. Not much in the way in which of Reese ties emerged, largely because he was expected to be off the board by the point 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 definitely didn’t have a necessity there, an argument exists for Reese as a worth 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 profession as an off-ball ‘backer, Reese’s hybrid skillset became coveted. He heads to the rare team with an EDGE surplus. Although Reese eyed an NFL future on the sting, the Giants will start his profession alongside Edmunds off the ball.
If no Kayvon Thibodeaux trade occurs by Week 1, Latest York might be in the bizarre position of doubtless struggling to search out pass-rushing snaps for a top-five pick. The team rosters Brian Burns and 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter. Teams generally don’t select ILBs that top, and a number of fifth-year option decisions — no team has exercised an ILB option for the reason that Buccaneers picked up Devin White‘s in 2022 — support the worth gap between rush and non-rush ‘backers.
That can make Reese’s development interesting, and he shouldn’t be even the one Giants first-round pick whose positional status might be price monitoring closely. Mauigoa excelled at right tackle for the Hurricanes, helping them to a surprise CFP title game bid, however the Giants will kick him inside after re-signing Eluemunor. The Browns considered Mauigoa at No. 9 but selected Utah’s Spencer Fano. The Giants then deemed the faculty tackle too good to pass up.
College tackles can definitely turn into impact NFL guards. We’ve 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 way back to when the team’s Super Bowl XLVI O-line splintered within the early 2010s, the Giants haven’t enjoyed a long-term guard stay. The closest the team got here 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 could also 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; nevertheless, concern over a rumored back surgery Mauigoa may have sooner or later keyed a little bit of a drop. The Giants don’t appear frightened about this, and it might surprise if Mauigoa was not at the very 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 12 months’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 could also be behind the 2 veterans entering camp, this Giants regime selecting him in the highest 40 carries weight. Banks profiles as a trade candidate, while Newsome — whom the Browns dealt to the Jaguars before last 12 months’s deadline — is on a “prove it” take care of 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 attributable to the previous Tennessee, Colorado and Auburn CB remaining on the board.
With the Volunteers losing Jermod McCoy to an ACL tear throughout the 2025 offseason, Hood shined and raised his draft stock. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board slotted Hood twenty first on 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 remaining of the veterans on this roster might not be long for Latest York. Jalin Hyatt appears on the flawed side of the roster bubble, while Darius Slayton‘s guarantees are up after 2026 (the Gettleman-era draftee might be a reputation to look at on the deadline if the Giants start poorly). With a number 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 on the position.
A giant-bodied goal, Fields topped 800 receiving yards in 2023 and ’24 as a component 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 will be brought along slowly due to the presences of Slayton and Mooney. But a long-term role opposite Nabers might be the Giants’ goal here.
Coaching/front office:
Few GMs to receive extensions have fared worse in the fashionable NFL. After a fluky 9-7-1 2022 season that produced a playoff win, the Giants have gone 13-38. They’ve 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 achieve this; each Latest York power brokers now report back to ownership. Schoen also got here 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 discount in Schoen responsibilities. Many within the Giants’ constructing now report back to Aponte, per a February report, with Schoen focused on scouting.
Nevertheless, the Giants prolonged Schoen on a deal — per veteran reporter Gary Myers — running through 2029. One 12 months remained on his initial Giants contract. Although offset language is usually in staffers’ contracts, that may be 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.
On the other hand, we’ve seen teams swerve after awarding GM extensions within the not-so-distant past. The Cardinals and Titans respectively bailed on Steve Keim and Jon Robinson months after authorizing recent deals. Given Harbaugh’s power, Schoen would profile as a fall guy if the Giants are unable to enhance 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 price $16.5MM. Despite the previous third-rounder’s starting roles on the Bills and Texans, the move backfired. Tyrone Tracy supplanted Singletary as Latest York’s starter in 2025, and Cam Skattebo — when he was briefly healthy — shook up the team’s backfield further.
Singletary got here 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 may have one other likelihood to stay around, with the pay reduction — and the Giants exiting the draft with no RBs added — removing the danger on the team’s part.
Other:
PFR’s Giants Offseason Outlook mentioned Thibodeaux as a trade candidate, and this was before the team added one more top-five pick with edge-rushing capabilities. Teams indeed discussed the 2022 No. 5 overall pick with Latest York, however the Giants held firm. The Saints are believed to have offered a fourth-round selection for Thibodeaux, however the Giants held out for a second-rounder. Considering Thibodeaux’s spotty resume, that appears 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 stays logical.
A number of contract-year edge defenders have been dealt for at the very least a third-round pick in recent times. Jaelan Phillips was moved for that return last 12 months, while Chase Young went for a 3rd in 2023. Edges with higher resumes (Bradley Chubb, Montez Sweat, Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney) have brought more in deadline trades, however the Phillips and Young swaps show what will be had for an inconsistent rusher with first-round talent.
Thibodeaux, 25, has missed 12 games over the past two seasons. Seven got here last 12 months, with a shoulder sprain sidelining him in November. The Giants are starting Reese at inside linebacker, but with Burns and Carter entrenched, Thibodeaux represents the logical move piece to liberate rush snaps for the rookie.
Because 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 try to move him before the season or truly have Reese see most of his time at ILB while attempting to spice up Thibodeaux’s trade market by the November deadline?
A much lower-stakes trade chip, Banks had no likelihood 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 likelihood at a starting gig — recent secondary coach Addison Lynch talked up his athleticism throughout the offseason — but Newsome and Hood arrived under Harbaugh. Although Banks shouldn’t be quite on Neal’s level as a draft bust, the clock is ticking here. Harbaugh moving on for a late-round pick shouldn’t be 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 2-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 in regards to the Giants’ willingness to pay top dollar for a corner, and their Newsome investment does support that.
Though, it’s interesting the team engaged in talks with the Chiefs. No matter how serious the conversations were, the organization gave the impression to be aiming much higher than Newsome. Had the Rams not surrendered one more first-rounder in a trade, Hood probably doesn’t turn into a Giant within the draft.
Harbaugh didn’t beam with optimism regarding Nabers’ timetable. The Giants’ top weapon didn’t suffer a clean ACL tear last September, complicating his road back. Nevertheless, the third-year receiver avoided the lively/PUP list. The Giants having Nabers back on time could be a boon for Dart’s development. It could also stand to harm Beckham’s probabilities of making the 53-man roster out of camp.
The Cardinals prevented the Giants from having a crack at Jeremiyah Love, however the team was also connected to Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne. Walker ended up pricing himself out of Latest York’s range, signing a three-year deal price $43.1MM with Kansas City. Latest 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 lively/PUP list. He is predicted to start 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 brand 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 doesn’t 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 12 months, the Giants constructing a direct playoff contender around their QB’s rookie contract is realistic.
The Eagles still carry a powerful roster, and the Cowboys threw loads 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. Latest York’s path doesn’t look smooth. But undeniable optimism should come from the Harbaugh hire together with the presences of Dart and a deep array of pass rushers. The Lawrence trade might hurt within the short term, however the Giants will bank on their Reese-Mauigoa first-round haul strengthening their foundation as an aging coach attempts a fast turnaround.