K Graham Gano, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches Potential Cap Casualties

According to OvertheCap.com, the Giants are 30th in the NFL in 2025 with only $5.95MM of cap space and dead last in the NFL with an effective cap deficit of $4.51MM. Obviously, New York needs to clear up some salary cap space, and Dan Duggan of The Athletic suggested that kicker Graham Gano and defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches could end up being cap casualties.

Gano, 38, has been with the Giants since 2020 earning two separate three-year extensions for a combined $30.5MM, but he’s only played 18 of a possible 34 games in the past two seasons. A knee injury sidelined Gano for nine games in 2023 while a groin issue held him out of seven contests last year. Along with these injuries have also come some inaccuracies. Gano missed six of 17 field goal attempts in 2023, with two misses coming from inside the 30-yard line. While he improved a bit last season, going nine for 11, one of those misses was again from inside 40 yards.

Gano is under contract for the next two years, but his current contract has a potential out built in that makes the dead money of his contract fairly manageable. Cutting him now would leave the team with $2.5MM of dead money and $3.17MM of cap savings; a post June-1 designation would improve those numbers to $1.25MM of dead money and $4.42MM of cap savings.

In order to cut Gano, though, the team needs somebody who can replace him. They haven’t brought in any kicking competition this offseason, though they did sign Jude McAtamney to a reserve/futures deal in January. Still, there are plenty of veteran options on the free agent market if the Giants want to pursue more experienced kickers like Nick Folk, Matt Prater, or even Justin Tucker. Younger options, such as Michael Badgley, Eddy Pineiro, Cade York, Zane Gonzalez, and Austin Seibert, are available, as well.

Unfortunately for Nunez-Roches, a similar depth issue does not exist. New York brought in veterans Roy Robertson-Harris and Jeremiah Ledbetter as free agents this offseason and spent a third-round pick on Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander. The interior defensive line depth of the team does not preclude the Giants from letting Nunez-Roches go if he can’t contribute in a meaningful manner, and unfortunately, he hasn’t shown that he can.

Despite starting 15 games for the team in 2024, Nunez-Roches has not been a stout defender at his position. He doesn’t produce a ton of pressure — only two sacks, two tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits last year — and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the 99th-best interior defender in the NFL last season out of 118 qualifying players, which was only a slight improvement over his grading from last year (115th out of 130 interior defenders). The Giants reportedly admire his leadership, but if this summer shows that the team can get by with players like Robertson-Harris, Ledbetter, and Alexander around star interior defender Dexter Lawrence, that may not be enough to keep Nunez-Roches around.

Nunez-Roches is headed into the final year of a three-year, $12MM contract. Cutting him, pre- or post-June 1, would only result in $1.43MM of dead money and $3.6MM of cap savings.

Without some competition to make him expendable, Gano might end up surviving cap cuts. Cutting Nunez-Roches, though, could end up being an easy decision if the three newcomers make it clear that he’s not needed.