The New York Giants have already undergone wholesale changes in the 2026 NFL offseason. The John Harbaugh era is officially underway, and hope has already been restored in East Rutherford. But with free agency approaching in March, the Giants' front office already has a lengthy to-do list, beginning with early roster cuts.
Giants fans can already predict the list of names they hope to see released in the coming weeks as the team begins to clean house. Several players have been at odds with the fan base for years and could soon see their drawn-out tenures come to an abrupt end.
New York went all out in free agency last offseason, reeling in Jevon Holland, Paulson Adebo, James Hudson III and Chauncey Golston on lucrative deals. The Giants also re-signed wideout Darius Slayton with a three-year, $36 million contract.
The moves did not pay off for the Giants, who went 4-13 in 2025, and they left general manager Joe Schoen with less flexibility in the 2026 offseason. However, Schoen can maximize his cap space before free agency by releasing dead weight.
Given the investment New York has made in Harbaugh, the team cannot afford to keep losing. Expect the Giants to make a flurry of roster cuts early in the 2026 NFL offseason by releasing a handful of tenured players.
K Graham Gano
This is a move that just has to be done. The Giants have the fifth-highest-paid kicker in the NFL, who also doubles as the most injury-prone player at the position. Graham Gano's frequent unavailability has cost New York on multiple occasions in the last two years, making his release long overdue.
The 38-year-old Gano has landed on injured reserve in each of the last three seasons, appearing in just 45 percent of the team's games since the 2023 season. Gano has missed only two kicks over the last two seasons, but his instability has made him far too unreliable, forcing the team to spend more time evaluating kickers in the league.
There are only a handful of kickers worth dealing with that headache, and Gano is not one of them. He should not be on the roster by June.
By releasing Gano ahead of a contract year, the Giants would save $4.5 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap. His release should be the first of many the front office makes leading into the free agency period.
RB Devin Singletary
Keeping Devin Singletary on the roster made sense entering the 2025 season, when the Giants had no idea what Cam Skattebo would become. Skattebo has since surpassed both Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr. on the depth chart, turning the 28-year-old veteran into one of the biggest liabilities on the team.
Singletary's $16.5 million contract is much higher than that of a typical third-string running back. He is owed $5.2 million in 2026, none of which is guaranteed, allowing the Giants to cut him without penalty in the 2026 offseason. That is as easy a decision as an NFL general manager can make.
The Giants brought Singletary on board when they hired Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, both of whom were familiar with his game from their overlapping tenures with the Buffalo Bills. With Daboll no longer in town, Singletary's job security is paper-thin, especially if New York drafts his replacement in April.
Singletary should have a job in September, but it will not be in East Rutherford.
LT James Hudson
When the biggest highlight of an offensive lineman's season is racking up four penalties on one drive, it would be difficult for anyone to justify him keeping his job the following week. Yet, James Hudson managed to remain on the Giants' roster all season and is in a position to potentially return in 2026.
Hudson was the Giants' starting left tackle for their first two games while Andrew Thomas recovered from the foot injury that ended his previous campaign. He was solid, albeit unexciting, in Week 1 before rendering himself unplayable in Week 2 by committing four penalties on the opening drive against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hudson was immediately benched for rookie Marcus Mbow, whom he sat behind on the depth chart the rest of the season. Thomas eventually returned to form an elite tackle duo with Jermaine Eluemunor, with Mbow filling in behind them. Hudson only played one offensive snap after his Week 2 benching.
The Giants should cut Hudson in the 2026 offseason, regardless of the cap situation. It just so happens that releasing him would save them nearly $5.4 million in cap space, per Over The Cap.
