John Harbaugh
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New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh can "create $9 million" by cutting a leader on defense.
John Harbaugh all but took the general manager title from Joe Schoen when he became head coach of the New York Giants, and one of Harbs’ first acts should be to “create $9 million” in salary cap space by dumping a notable, Schoen-approved signing who is the leader of Big Blue’s defense.
The idea comes from Dan Duggan of The Athletic. He believes middle linebacker Bobby Okereke “will be the biggest cap decision. The Giants can create $9 million in cap savings while eating $5.5 million in dead money if they cut him this offseason. A captain during each of his three seasons in New York, Okereke plays every snap as the leader of the defense. But the 29-year-old’s performance has declined, so the savings from cutting him could be spent on an upgrade. A decision will come before a $3 million roster bonus is due on March 13.”
Cutting ties with Okereke would be a bold way for Harbaugh to establish his authority over personnel decisions. Especially since the former Indianapolis Colts starter is one of the more high-profile additions made by Schoen during his otherwise mediocre tenure fronting the construction of the Giants’ roster.
Bobby Okereke Still Has Value
Okereke’s struggled to recapture the form he displayed during his first year with the Giants in 2023, when he logged 149 tackles and notched a career-high 2.5 sacks. Yet, the 29-year-old still has value as a smart and instinctive player with ample experience calling signals on the field.
The latter trait can be a major boost to Harbaugh and his new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. They are both steeped in the traditions of the Baltimore Ravens, who routinely built defenses around heady and athletic inside linebackers like Ray Lewis, C.J. Mosley and Roquan Smith.
He isn’t in the same bracket as those players, but Okereke’s still a capable and flexible linebacker. One who may even be primed for a bounce-back campaign after struggling to establish chemistry with former Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
Okereke is far from the biggest problem on the Giants’ defense. Fixing the bigger issues, most of which reside along the line and in the secondary, particularly at cornerback, will likely be Harbaugh’s focus based on the extent of his say in personnel matters.
John Harbaugh in Control for Giants
Harbaugh is saying all the right things about working with Schoen, but not everybody is buying the idea of an equal partnership. Particularly after the hiring of Dawn Aponte as “senior VP of football operations and strategy; she’ll oversee analytics, salary-cap management and player contract negotiations. As another sign of Harbaugh’s considerable influence in the organization, Aponte will report to him,” not Schoen, according to Duggan’s colleague Ian O’Connor.
The extent of Schoen’s diminishing sway was later expanded upon by Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Leonard revealed he “was told last week that Joe Schoen is basically relegated to handling scouting. Rest of the building reports to Dawn, Dawn reports to John.”
This is true. Was told last week that Joe Schoen is basically relegated to handling scouting. Rest of the building reports to Dawn, Dawn reports to John. This is continuing to go exactly as we told you it would when Harbaugh got hired https://t.co/xwneLMizSl
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) February 15, 2026
Harbaugh is at the controls, but that doesn’t mean he needs to set any kind of a tone by ditching Okereke. Somebody as experienced as Harbaugh ought to appreciate a battle-tested and durable pro who can underpin the necessary rebuild on one side of the ball.
A better use of Harbaugh’s authority would be to work with Schoen to restructure Okereke’s contract into a more cap-friendly deal.