Joe Schoen, New York Giants
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General manager Joe Schoen of the New York Giants speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center.
The New York Giants enter an offseason filled with hope, having landed prestigious head coach John Harbaugh and a hopeful franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart.
Now, the real work gets underway. Joe Schoen’s roster-building in years past hasn’t been perfect, to say the least, but the Giants still have good players at premium positions.
Their defensive front is one of the best in the league, featuring All-Pros in Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns, and offensively, they have blue-chip talents in the aforementioned Dart and Malik Nabers.
But New York’s roster isn’t complete, and they have a few key impending free agents that they should hope to bring back by any means necessary, despite their limited cap flexibility.
Giants Urged to Re-Sign Jermaine Eluemunor
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan wants the New York Giants to keep their stable offensive line in place, which means bringing back right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor before he leaves for greener pastures.
“The Giants finally got their offensive line to a stable place last season. It would be a huge mistake to remove a pillar of that foundation and trust that the 31-year-old Eluemunor can be replaced by second-year pro Marcus Mbow or another cheap, young player,” wrote Duggan.
“Instead, the Giants should pay Eluemunor as long as the price tag is reasonable — PFF projects a three-year, $36 million contract — and have Mbow continue developing.”
The Giants don’t currently have the cap space to facilitate the projected contract Duggan suggests, but a handful of cuts and restructures would absolutely make it possible.
Since signing with New York in 2024, Eluemunor has arguably been the Giants’ most solid offensive lineman, missing fewer games than All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Letting him walk would just create a new hole in the Giants’ offensive line, where there are already question marks surrounding incumbent starters John Michael Schmitz and Greg Van Roten at center and guard, respectively.
Protecting Dart and keeping rushing lanes open for running backs Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy should be the Giants’ top priority.
Giants Urged Not to Let Cor’Dale Flott Walk
On the other side of the ball, Duggan urged the New York Giants to keep Cor’Dale Flott in town, thanks to his stellar play at cornerback this past season.
“Flott is a tougher call, and there are valid arguments against paying him. He has only had one year of high-level play and his slight frame might not be the best fit for the defense Harbaugh and coordinator Dennard Wilson are building. But similar to Eluemunor, the Giants aren’t in position to let quality players at premium positions walk,” continued Duggan.
“A major advantage with Flott is that he’s only 24. The Giants spent a third-round pick on him in 2022, so now is the time to cash in on that investment. There’s a real chance that Flott is still improving. At worst, the Giants know he’ll be a solid corner for the length of whatever contract he signs. Assessing Flott’s value is tricky, but a three-year contract worth between $10 million and $12 million annually seems fair.”
Similar to Eluemunor, the Giants don’t currently have the cap space to retain one or both of these impending free agents, but both have a strong case to be back.
New York can’t depend on former first-round pick Deonte Banks to be a starting-caliber cornerback in 2026, and in fact, Duggan urged the Giants not to pick up his fifth-year option.
Re-signing Flott would be keeping homegrown talent in the building and would send a good message to other veteran players vying for new contracts.
Play well, and you’ll be rewarded.