The New York Giants are coming off a disappointing 2017 season that saw them miss the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years. This has subsequently pushed the front office to shake things up in order to get the team back on the right path in the 2018 campaign.
One area where New York is looking to make a possible change is in the secondary. According to Mike Garafolo of The NFL Network, the Giants have reportedly asked veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to take a sizeable pay cut from his salary if he's to stay with the team this upcoming season.
The 31-year-old is set to enter the final year of his five-year, $35 million deal that will have a cap hit of $8.5 million in salary and bonuses for the 2018 season. Rodgers-Cromartie has been one of the most dependable defensive backs for the Giants over the last four years. He has earned one of his two career Pro Bowl selections and a Second-Team All-Pro nod during his time in New York.
New York's reasoning behind this push may solely be to free up additional salary cap space to help the team bring in additional talent in free agency. The team is currently sitting at just $13.9 million at their disposal this offseason just a few days before the start of the free agency period on Tuesday afternoon.
The Giants struggled tremendously defensively last season ranking 31st overall and against the pass and 27th against the run. There could be a few intriguing options on the open market to help improve their secondary that ranked last in the league in 2017 giving up an NFL-worst 32 touchdown passes, as well as 25th with a 94.2 opposing quarterback rating, and 27th giving up 7.5 yards per pass attempt.
Ultimately, the front office could come to a decision concerning Rodgers-Cromartie's current contract situation at some point ahead of the free agency period to get a clearer picture of their financial flexibility heading into free agency.
Follow Us
Subscribe