Copr. EwingCole 2025
Free agency will open across the NFL on March 12th, and teams have been clamoring to either re-sign or release their own talent based off of current needs. The New York Giants are no different, re-signing veteran long snapper Casey Kreiter this past Wednesday. However, many other areas need attention, and today at Giants Fare we discuss where the G-Men may need to ‘trim the fat’ on their roster, or otherwise restructure some deals.
Cut: Graham Gano & Rakeem Nuñez Roches
Copr. Giants Wire-USA Today 2023
Let’s face it, Gano’s washed up. Not to take away from his early success with the Giants, going 89-97 on field goal attempts from 2020 to 2022, but over the last two seasons his age has begun to show in regards to injuries and blown kicks. Over the last two seasons, Gano has only appeared in 18 total games, going 20-28 with two of his misses occurring in crucial late game situations against the Jets in 2023 and the Saints in 2024, games the Giants both lost. Kickers have always been one of the more expendable positions in the league, and the Giants should have no issue finding a cheaper, potentially better replacement for the veteran. Potential Saved- $3.1 million
Copr. Big Blue View 2023
Nuñez-Roches, on the other hand, actually saw a noticeable improvement in statistics this past season. Most notably, his combined tackles total doubled from 26 in 2023 to 52 in 2024. However, a lack of pressure in the pass rush combined with his age (31) aren’t enough to warrant keeping him on a roster that already has one of the best front sevens in the NFL on paper. Potential Saved- $3.6 million
Restructure: Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and Andrew Thomas
These three men are the current pillars of this proud organization; and if they’re willing to cooperate, they can also be its saviors.
Copr. Perry Knotts-Getty Images 2024
Outside linebacker Brian Burns was the signing of the spring in 2024, a much needed piece of good news on the same day as the departure of running back Saquon Barkley. Burns also lived up to his end of his massive 5 year, $141 million contract in year one, setting a career high in combined tackles (71) and recording 8.5 sacks while playing in all 17 games. However, restructuring his contract would help ensure that his efforts on the field next season wouldn’t be in vain. Potential Saved- $16.1 million
Copr. Imagn Images 2024
Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence has proven himself to be a rare long-term success story from the Dave Gettleman era in New York. ‘Sexy Dexy’ has played in 12 or more games in every season of his NFL career, all with the G-Men, and has made the pro bowl and all-pro rosters every season since 2022. Despite playing in a career low for games in a season this past year, Lawrence was still able to record 9 sacks in just a dozen starts before a dislocated left elbow ended his 2024 campaign. Being the team player that he is, Lawrence should be more willing than most to move some money around in his wallet to stabilize the future of the Giants. Potential Saved- $9.8 million
Copr. giants.com 2024
Offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has been quite the oddity for the Giants since being drafted fourth overall out of Georgia in 2020. While he’s played at an All-Pro level when healthy, something few Giants offensive linemen have been able to boast in the last decade, his constant string of injuries have only allowed him to play in 16 combined games in the last two seasons, only appearing in 6 this year after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his foot. As a team leader who’s dealed with his fair share of setbacks both personally and as a member of this team, he should wish to help bolster the team budget with a restructure. Potential Saved- $12.5 million
TOTAL POTENTIAL SAVED- $45.1 million
-Jack Barber
Work Cited
https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/2575453/rakeem-nunez-roches
https://giantswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/giants/2025/02/19/new-york-giants-could-clear-nearly-40-million-cap-space-several-restructures/79163067007/ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BurnBr00/gamelog/2024/
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