After a season full of over-achieving, the New York Giants have a busy offseason ahead of them. With both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley entering free agency, there will be some big-money decisions made that will impact their competitive window.
Making the postseason in the first year under head coach Brian Daboll was not an outcome many expected, and neither was securing their first playoff win since 2012. But the expectations have certainly risen for the Giants, and their 2023 NFL offseason is going to be integral to just how much they can use their past season as a springboard.
Entering into free agency, the Giants have 18 players that are free agents. Ranging from guaranteed starters like Jones and Barkley to important role players, this class holds a bunch of importance moving forward into the future of the franchise.
Even with the issues the Giants faced with their lack of production from their wide receiver room, they can afford to move on from Sterling Shepard.
Having played his entire seven-year career for the Giants, Shepard suffered a torn ACL back in September, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. Shepard’s age is definitely working against him being on the doorstep of 30 years old, and any sort of skill player needing to recover from a serious injury this late in his career will lose a step or two.
Shepard has had plenty of career highlights with the Giants, and moving on from a franchise mainstay is never an easy thing to do, but the Giants need to be more concerned about the success of their team, which may come at the cost of a household name like Shepard.
Jon Feliciano
Coming off his first year with the Giants, center Jon Feliciano started 14 games, allowing three sacks and committing six penalties. His familiarity with Daboll dating back to their time in Buffalo likely made him join the Giants last offseason, but his one-year deal should only be a one-time occurrence.
The Giants certainly could do worse than bringing Feliciano back, but as he is almost 31 years old, this team would benefit from getting younger on the offensive line. With plenty of prospects to target in this year’s NFL Draft, the Giants should let Feliciano walk.
There really is no surprise seeing Kenny Golladay’s name on this list – the only thing that stands out about including Golladay here is that he is still under contract for next season, which Feliciano and Shepard both are not.
A post-June 1st release of Golladay would spread his dead cap number across both 2023 and 2024, with the Giants realizing a cost savings of $13.5 million. General Manager Joe Schoen does not look like he operates like a GM who is scared to make huge moves, and taking the loss caused by the previous front office would show the fan base he means business.
Golladay’s time with the Giants has been nothing short of a mess, and moving on from this offseason would be the right move. Both parties see no other solution here other than moving towards a split, and the easiest way to do that is to release Golladay and let him become a free agent.
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