Giants and John Harbaugh get bad news before NFL free agency
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New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh.
Two free agents have been consistently connected to the New York Giants over the past few weeks, but the latest NFL free agency news hints both will likely price out of Big Blue’s financial range this week.
On March 8, The Athletic’s NY sports insider Ian O’Connor reported the following:
“On other free-agent fronts, don’t expect the Giants to spend big on Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum or Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III, as much as they’d love to land both players,” O’Connor wrote.
Continuing: “Ditto for receivers Alec Pierce and Mike Evans, whose asking prices appear too high. The Giants have too many holes to fill to throw a truckload of cash at a singular star, or to do what [John] Harbaugh’s former team did by trading two first-round picks for Maxx Crosby, or to send four picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for Trent McDuffie at $30 million a pop, as the Los Angeles Rams did.”
Pierce, Evans, and Crosby were never really on the table for the Giants, but the Linderbaum and Walker news could be disappointing to some.
The former Ravens center and reigning Super Bowl MVP RB were both dream targets that Harbaugh and company appeared to be targeting. However, the reality is that both bidding wars could get out of hand.
And the Giants don’t have an endless amount of cap space to work with in 2026.
Giants Beat Reporter, NFL Insider Confirm Free Agency News on Tyler Linderbaum & Kenneth Walker
Giants get Tyler Linderbaum news before NFL free agency
GettyBaltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum is expected to price out of the New York Giants’ financial range in NFL free agency.
O’Connor’s reporting was quickly followed up on by his colleague, The Athletic’s NYG beat reporter Dan Duggan.
“I think their interest in Kenneth Walker is genuine, but I’ve heard his market could be in the $15M/year range. They can’t/won’t go there,” Duggan agreed.
Adding later: “Like with Walker, the Giants would love to sign Tyler Linderbaum. I just don’t see them spending $20M-plus on a center. Too many holes to fill to go all-in on any one position.”
In terms of the Giants’ free agency plan, Duggan expects them to pivot from Linderbaum and center to the veteran guard market.
“I think they invest in a [right guard] instead for a fraction of the cost of Linderbaum,” the beat reporter noted. “Plenty of quality options available.”
On the national side of things, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler seconded O’Connor and Duggan’s thoughts on Linderbaum and Walker.
“Kenneth Walker seems to be the market-setter as it stands, but Travis Etienne Jr. will be right there in the mix,” Fowler relayed on March 8. “Some teams I’ve talked to are setting the market’s ceiling at around $12 million. That could go up if enough teams get involved.”
The NFL insider also agreed that Linderbaum’s “number should easily surpass $20 million per year.” Although Fowler did name the Giants as a suitor for both, if they elect to pony up the cash to get a deal done.
Giants Shopping in Second Tier Again?
O’Connor and Duggan are generally both pretty tapped in when it comes to the Giants. So, it would certainly seem that the franchise is shopping in that second tier of free agency once again.
That won’t make fans happy, but the reality is that Harbaugh must balance the books.
General manager Joe Schoen is still in the building, but he has not done a great job with his spending. Now the Giants and Harbaugh could pay the price in 2026.
Big Blue expects to compete in year one of Harbaugh, but it will be a steady build. It’s hard to believe NYG will solve all its problems in one offseason.