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Giants WR Sterling Shepard Aiming For Week 1 Return

June 16th, 2023 at 8:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Giants’ 2023 offense will feature a number of new pass-catchers, including several different faces in the wide receiving corps. That unit will still feature Sterling Shepard, though, perhaps as early as Week 1 of the regular season.

The veteran signed a one-year deal to remain in New York this offseason, a commitment on the team’s part to keep their longest-tenured player in the fold. Shepard’s 2022 campaign was limited to just three games due a torn ACL. He is currently rehabbing the injury, the latest in a long line in that regard which has hurt the team’s passing game and his financial value. His remarks on his recovery paint an encouraging picture, though.

“I’m right on schedule where I wanted to be, a little bit ahead,” the 30-year-old said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “So that’s always good. I’m just trying to take it day by day and just focus on getting back to 100 percent.”

At full health, the former second-rounder has been a key member of New York’s passing game. Shepard received at least 83 targets in each of his first five seasons, though that figure dropped dramatically in 2021 and ’22 given his major injuries (including an Achilles tear in the former campaign). The team’s work to boost its aerial attack this offseason should cut further into Shepard’s workload.

The Giants traded for Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, a move which will give newly-extended quarterback Daniel Jones a proven producer in the middle of the field. On the perimeter, free agent signings Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder represent one-year investments at the WR spot. They, along with third-round rookie Jalin Hyatt, will give Shepard competition for playing time upon his return. The timing of that remains to be seen, but if the latter remains on his current track it could come as early as the season opener.

“My goal is to be ready for the season, so whatever that takes is what I’m going to try to do, but I’m also not going to rush it,” Shepard said. “You get to that time and I’m not feeling right, then that’s just what it’s going to be.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/15/23

June 15th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

  • Signed: DT Kobe Smith
  • Waived/injured: WR/TE Dre Miller

Greg Mabin is the biggest name on the list, with the cornerback having appeared in 45 career games. The former UDFA has spent the past two seasons with the Titans, collecting 23 tackles in 11 total games. The Panthers have gotten an extended look at their cornerback depth during minicamp with Jaycee Horn (ankle) and Donte Jackson (Achilles) sidelined, so the team has probably decided they needed some veteran reinforcement at the position.

Javon Wims will now be looking for another opportunity after getting cut by the Cardinals. The former seventh-round pick showed a bit of a potential with the Bears, including a 2019 campaign where he had 18 catches for 186 yards and one touchdown. After getting into 13 games with the Bears in 2020, the wideout has only seen time in one game over the past two seasons. He spent most of the 2022 campaign on Arizona’s practice squad.

Leonard Williams Open To Giants Extension

June 14th, 2023 at 9:46pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants have already addressed their defensive line plenty this offseason with the extension of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and the free agent additions of defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches. Now, the next logical thing to address is the future of defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who is set to play out 2023 on the final year of his current contract.

According to Ed Valentine of SB Nation, Williams has expressed interest in staying with the Giants beyond this year. However, it doesn’t seem that there has been much discussion in the direction of an extension. Williams, originally a top-ten draft pick for the Jets in 2015, went across the street to the Giants as a part of a midseason trade in 2019 and performed at a high level for New York in the first two full seasons with his new team. A nagging neck injury throughout the 2022 season led to a down year for Williams as he struggled to return to form throughout the season.

Williams already restructured the second year of his three-year contract last year to help create some cap space, so he’s shown a willingness to be flexible in an effort to help with team finances. He’s set for a massive $32.26MM cap hit in 2023, so it would likely behoove New York to work something out with Williams. We reported days ago, though, that the Giants may be willing to shoulder that financial burden into the year.

That report is bolstered by this new one of little discussion towards the goal of a new deal. The new information, though, tells us that Williams is “open to staying” with the Giants. It may not be up to him if he can’t get back to form in 2023, though. Another down year and he may have trouble convincing the G-Men to extend another contract offer.

Guarantees Remain Issue In Saquon Barkley-Giants Negotiations

June 14th, 2023 at 11:06am CST by Sam Robinson

The franchise tag deadline annually produces a run of headlines before the pivotal July date. This year’s lead tag story will be Saquon Barkley‘s status with the Giants. After expressing frustration with being tagged, Barkley has until July 17 to sign a long-term extension. No deal by that date tables any negotiations until 2024.

New York pulled its top proposal to Barkley after tagging him in March. That offer was said to be worth in the $13MM-per-year neighborhood. The Giants have not put that $13MM-AAV term back on the table, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard notes.

Regarding the two known offers the Giants have made — one north of $12MM on average from November and the $13MM-AAV proposal from earlier this year — Leonard adds these were not high on guarantees. Indicating he would not sign his franchise tender this week, Barkley voiced frustration about the leaks from the Giants’ side regarding the offers he rejected.

Barkley’s guarantee baseline may be in the $22MM range, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, as it would match the cost of playing on the tag this year and being re-tagged in 2024 (video link). Only two veteran backs — Christian McCaffrey ($30.1MM) and Derrick Henry ($25.5MM) — are attached to deals including more than $18MM fully guaranteed. Barkley’s initial NFL contract — from his No. 2 draft slot — once stood atop the position for guaranteed cash ($31.2MM). While Barkley has made nearly $40MM thanks to that deal and his 2022 fifth-year option, he does not have too many more prime seasons to parlay into a multiyear guarantee.

The Giants are believed to be OK with Barkley playing on the tag, despite the $10.9MM cap hold. Barkley, 26, joined Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard in being cuffed this year. That took the top three backs off the market, but a host of starter-level backs still hit free agency. The buyer’s market, as expected, produced a host of mid- and low-level contracts. Barkley argued this year’s running back market — which saw Miles Sanders‘ $6.4MM-per-year Panthers deal (11th in RB AAV) lead the way — is not a true reflection of the position’s value, since the franchise-tagged heavy hitters would have commanded more.

“I think the biggest thing is being patient, being open to listen and understanding what the market is,” Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown said, via NJ.com’s Bob Brookover. “The market surplus and scarcity dictates a lot on how you make decisions and also being able to agree to disagree at times and being able to get back to the table.”

Said surplus now includes Dalvin Cook, whom the Vikings finally cut last week. It remains highly unlikely the Giants would rescind Barkley’s tag to sign Cook, as that would go over poorly in the locker room given the former’s contributions to last year’s playoff-bound team. Barkley bounced back from three injury-plagued seasons to lead a Giants team low on reliable pass catchers to the postseason.

Giants hesitation regarding a top-flight guarantee is also understandable, with Barkley having suffered a high ankle sprain in 2019, an ACL tear in 2020 and another ankle injury in 2021. Barkley missed 21 games during that span. Barkley acknowledged his injury past when he said in January he was not asking to set the market at running back, but while this position’s value continues to dip across the NFL, the Giants are preparing to build around a quarterback (Daniel Jones) who submitted uneven rookie-contract work. Barkley remains a pivotal part of this plan.

As of late May, no deal was close. The team, however, came to terms with Jones minutes before the March franchise tag deadline, allowing for the Barkley tag. Negotiations with tagged players regularly run up to the July extension deadline.

“I think they’re open to talking,” Barkley said. “I’m open to talking. I think at the end of the day, if you really break it down and look at it as a whole, there is no rush. There is still time on the table to get to July 17. July 17 is not tomorrow. Maybe that is the naïve way to look at it. I could be completely wrong. But for me, that’s how I look at it. I trust in the Giants that we could get something done.”

Although Barkley has banked far more than Le’Veon Bell did when he sat out the 2018 season in protest of the tag, Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano notes the Giants are not concerned he will follow the ex-Steeler’s lead by skipping a season. That would cost him the $10.9MM tag salary and his age-26 season. It is not expected the Giants will raise their offer from March, but it will be interesting to see how the guarantees look in Big Blue’s final proposal before next month’s deadline.

Saquon Barkley To Skip Giants’ Minicamp

June 11th, 2023 at 9:35pm CST by Ely Allen

At the conclusion of his Youth Football Camp in Jersey City today, Giants running back Saquon Barkley confirmed that he will not be attending the team’s mandatory minicamp this week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Barkley’s time away from the Giants continues as he still hasn’t signed his franchise tender.

New York chose Barkley to franchise tag at the last second but claimed that it had full intentions of extending the veteran running back’s contract, with the tag serving as a backup plan in case negotiations failed. Barkley made it clear very early that he had no intention of signing his franchise tender before the team’s offseason program. This was news but nothing groundbreaking, considering he wouldn’t incur any fines for skipping the voluntary offseason workouts.

Waiting to sign franchise tenders is nothing new, as the tag is often viewed as a last-ditch option to retain a player if an extension can’t be reached. Waiting to sign also protects the tagged player from receiving fines for holding out from minicamp. A player like Tony Pollard, who signed his franchise tender back in March, would be subject to fines for missing minicamp, while Barkley can continue to hold out without penalty until the regular season begins, like Le’Veon Bell did years ago.

Speaking of Bell, Barkley hasn’t ruled out such a holdout. He seems intent on pushing the Giants at least until the last second. When asked about the potential of playing the season out on the franchise tag, he refused to acknowledge that he’s even considered it, telling the media he “would make those decisions or start thinking about that” when the deadline comes mid-July, according to Andrew Crane of the New York Post.

He didn’t nearly seem optimistic that things would be handled by July 17. According to another report by Crane, when asked if the deal would be handled by then, he took a long pause before replying, “I don’t know really. I don’t know.” In fact, he even said that sitting out the 2023 NFL season was an option he could use as “a card (he) could play,” according to Pat Leonard of New York Daily News. It has become clear that this situation has the potential to turn ugly in New York as the two sides continue to negotiate at an impasse.

Barkley’s statement today wasn’t necessarily an announcement of an incoming holdout, though. It seemed to be more of an attempt to state his side of the story. He made sure to inform that he had no intention of resetting the running back market. He has reportedly turned down deals with annual average values of $12.5MM and $13MM. Only Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey have contracts averaging more per year, but they are making $15MM and $16.02MM, respectively.

Barkley also used the media session as an opportunity to air some of his frustrations about the situation. He strongly implied that he felt disrespected by the organization throughout the contract standoff. He claimed that the team’s front office had been “misleading” with “untruthful” leaks that “make (him) look like (he’s) greedy.” He didn’t name general manager Joe Schoen, specifically, but Schoen was the one who publicly made known the above offers that were rejected.

Barkley has asserted that his feelings weren’t hurt by being tagged. He even understands that, in the harsh business world of the NFL, the Giants have all the leverage in negotiating. But the way the team’s front office has handled the situation seems to be rubbing him the wrong way. There doesn’t appear to be any irreparable damage, though. Much like the Lamar Jackson situation, it seems Barkley has been able to separate his business with the front office from the relationships with his teammates and coaches.

It’s unclear how much longer this will go on, but we now know it won’t be over by the opening of minicamp. Barkley is firmly standing his ground for what he feels he deserves. Whether or not that will preclude him from playing in the 2023 NFL season has yet to be determined.

Giants Unlikely To Address Leonard Williams’ Contract?

June 11th, 2023 at 9:33am CST by Rory Parks

Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams is attached to a $32.3MM cap figure for 2023, which is the third-highest mark in the league and which places Williams behind only Patrick Mahomes and Ryan Tannehill. Nonetheless, Big Blue seems prepared to carry that number on its ledger.

Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic (subscription required), the Giants have shown “no interest” in extending Williams, who will be eligible for free agency after the season, or restructuring his contract. Either maneuver, of course, would push more money onto future caps, so it stands to reason that GM Joe Schoen would be hesitant to go down that road for a player whose sack totals have declined sharply over the past two years and who missed significant game action due to injury for the first time in his career in 2022.

Duggan himself reported back in March that Schoen planned to sit down with Williams to discuss a reduction of the player’s cap charge. Based on Duggan’s most recent report, however, it seems as if those talks may have been designed to gauge Williams’ interest in a pay cut and may not have included much conversation about an extension or restructure. Williams suggested in January that he may be amenable to a reduction in pay, but his current stance on the matter is unclear.

Despite Williams’ declining surface-level production — 11.5 sacks in 2020, 6.5 in 2021, and 2.5 in 2022 — he continues to perform well in the eyes of the advanced metrics. Pro Football Focus assigned him a 74.2 overall grade last year, which placed him 19th out of 127 qualified interior linemen, and he was viewed as an above-average run defender and pass rusher. Plus, although Schoen did bolster his DL rotation with free agent acquisitions of A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, the playoff-hopeful Giants are clearly better with Williams than without him, so a release seems unlikely.

Indeed, the Robinson and Nunez-Roches signings may even enhance Williams’ performance by reducing the number of snaps he has to play, which was a priority for Schoen when the offseason began. As Duggan notes, Schoen could theoretically wait until closer to the start of the regular season to demand that Williams agree to a reduction of his $18MM salary, because at that point there will likely be no team that would be willing or able to absorb a contract worth anything close to that figure. Of course, that would represent a hardnosed negotiation tactic that would be sure to anger Williams and his teammates, so Schoen is unlikely to go that route.

For now, it appears that Williams will get his $18MM salary and that the Giants will have to live with his massive cap charge, secure in the knowledge that even if Williams falters in 2023, they will be free from his contract in 2024, when they will only be on the hook for a ~$6MM cap hit stemming from a September restructure.

Giants Notes: Flott, McCloud, Cowden

June 4th, 2023 at 12:41pm CST by Rory Parks

Although they still have a need at wide receiver, we learned yesterday that the Giants are not presently expected to acquire free agent DeAndre Hopkins. With Hopkins eyeing a $15MM/year contract, and with New York boasting less than $4MM in cap room, much would have to change for the club’s interest in Hopkins to go beyond the exploratory stage.

Here are a few more Giants-related items:

  • As Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post (subscription required) writes, the Giants believe that second-year pro Cor’Dale Flott — who was drafted as a slot corner — is better-suited to man the boundaries. That could mean that Darnay Holmes will reprise his role as the club’s primary slot defender, but the team could also gain much-needed cap space (about $2.5MM) by cutting Holmes. If Flott shows improvement as an inside option, or if UDFA Leonard Johnson should impress, Holmes may become a release/pay cut candidate.
  • The Giants lost safety Julian Love to the Seahawks in free agency this offseason, and as Dunleavy writes in a separate piece, Big Blue is shifting 2022 waiver claim Nick McCloud to safety on a full-time basis. Per Dunleavy, McCloud will compete with free agent signee Bobby McCain and incumbents Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton for the starting safety job alongside Xavier McKinney. McCloud, like Love, offers positional versatility and started eight games at corner in 2022, so even if he works primarily at safety, DC Wink Martindale may still use him elsewhere in the defensive backfield.
  • According to Dunleavy, first-round rookie Deonte Banks is now lining up as a starting boundary corner opposite Adoree’ Jackson after working with the second-team defense during the first week of OTAs.
  • The Giants recently added Ryan Cowden to their front office, and per the team’s official website, Cowden’s title will be executive advisor to the general manager. Cowden, who actually interviewed for New York’s GM job last year — a job that ultimately went to Joe Schoen — ended the 2022 campaign as the Titans’ interim GM, but Tennessee elected to hire Ran Carthon for the permanent gig. Cowden and Schoen worked together in the Panthers’ front office from 2000-07, so Schoen is adding a familiar and experienced sounding board to his personnel department.
  • Last week, we heard that the Giants and franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley are no closer to coming to terms on a long-term contract than they have ever been. It appears that guaranteed money is the biggest sticking point, though it is unclear what the Giants have offered in that regard, nor the degree to which those offers fall short of what Barkley might be seeking.

Giants, Cowboys Not Expected To Sign DeAndre Hopkins

June 3rd, 2023 at 10:15am CST by Ben Levine

The Giants inserted themselves into the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes earlier this week. Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that the organization would look into a potential Hopkins signing, noting that GM Joe Schoen would do his research “anytime there’s someone that’s available as a free agent.”

[RELATED: Giants Looking Into Potential DeAndre Hopkins Acquisition]

However, it doesn’t sound like the organization’s pursuit will extend much beyond simple due diligence. A team source told Ralph Vacchiano of FoxSports.com that the team’s interest in Hopkins isn’t expected to continue beyond the exploratory stage.

Hopkins certainly made sense for a questionable Giants WR corps. While the team did add tight end Darren Waller, their only other notable move was signing Parris Campbell to a receivers room that also features Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and Sterling Shepard.

Hopkins’ financial demands may have ended the Giants’ pursuit before it even began; the receiver is seeking around $15MM per season while the Giants are currently armed with less than $4MM in space. The Giants still have to make progress on a potential extension for Saquon Barkley, a contract that won’t do anything to alleviate their finances.

Another NFC East team that’s unlikely to add Hopkins is the Dallas Cowboys. Jon Machota of The Athletic writes that the team isn’t expected to sign the free agent, although coach Mike McCarthy did discuss the wideout to reporters.

“As far as players that are not here, I mean, there’s nothing good that comes out of those answers,” McCarthy said (via Machota). “Hop is a hell of a talent. I had a chance to be around (him) his first Pro Bowl. So, I’ve always had respect for him since his rookie year.”

One definitive suitor is the Chiefs, and Albert Breer of TheMMQB passes along some details of Kansas City’s offer to Hopkins (Twitter link). Kansas City offered the wideout an incentive-laden deal with a low base salary, and the front office noted that Hopkins could parlay a one-year stint in Kansas City into a more lucrative deal in 2024 (similar to JuJu Smith-Schuster).

2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team

June 2nd, 2023 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The start of June has served as a key NFL financial period for decades. While teams no longer have to wait until after June 1 to make that cost-splitting cut designation, teams pick up the savings from those transactions today. With a handful of teams making post-June 1 cuts this year, here is how each team’s cap space (courtesy of OverTheCap) looks as of Friday:

  1. Chicago Bears: $32.58MM
  2. Carolina Panthers: $27.25MM
  3. Arizona Cardinals: $26.68MM
  4. New York Jets: $24.79MM
  5. Detroit Lions: $23.72MM
  6. Indianapolis Colts: $23.39MM
  7. Dallas Cowboys: $20.48MM
  8. Houston Texans: $16.81MM
  9. Green Bay Packers: $16.57MM
  10. Pittsburgh Steelers: $15.73MM
  11. Cincinnati Bengals: $14.92MM
  12. New Orleans Saints: $14.27MM
  13. New England Patriots: $14.12MM
  14. Miami Dolphins: $13.9MM
  15. Cleveland Browns: $13.86MM
  16. Philadelphia Eagles: $13.85MM
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: $12.61MM
  18. Jacksonville Jaguars: $12MM
  19. Washington Commanders: $11.57MM
  20. Baltimore Ravens: $11.54MM
  21. San Francisco 49ers: $10.72MM
  22. Atlanta Falcons: $10.7MM
  23. Denver Broncos: $10.13MM
  24. Minnesota Vikings: $9.75MM
  25. Tennessee Titans: $7.99MM
  26. Seattle Seahawks: $7.94MM
  27. New York Giants: $3.82MM
  28. Las Vegas Raiders: $3.37MM
  29. Los Angeles Rams: $1.49MM
  30. Buffalo Bills: $1.4MM
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: $653K
  32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $402K

The Dolphins gained the most from a post-June 1 cut (Byron Jones) this year, creating $13.6MM in cap space from a deal that will spread out the cornerback’s dead money through 2024. But the Browns (John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney) and Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott) created more than $10MM in space as well.

The Jets’ number is a bit deceiving. They are still working on a restructure with Aaron Rodgers, as the trade acquisition’s cap number — after a Packers restructure — sits at just $1.22MM. In 2024, that number skyrockets to $107.6MM. Rodgers’ cap hit will almost definitely will climb before Week 1, so viewing the Jets along with the other teams north of $20MM in space is not entirely accurate.

Minnesota is moving closer to separating from its $12.6MM-per-year Dalvin Cook contract. The team already created some space by trading Za’Darius Smith to the Browns. Cleveland, which is one of the teams connected to DeAndre Hopkins, added Smith and did so with help from its Deshaun Watson restructure. Watson was set to count $54.9MM against the Browns’ 2023 cap. That number is down to $19.1MM, though the Browns’ restructure both ballooned Watson’s mid-2020s cap figures to $63.9MM — which would shatter the NFL record — and added a 2027 void year.

Tampa Bay and Los Angeles sit atop the league in dead money, with the Bucs — largely from their April 2022 Tom Brady restructure — checking in at $75.3MM here. That total comprises nearly 33% of the Bucs’ 2023 cap sheet. The Rams, at more than $74MM, are not far behind. Despite the Bills and Chiefs — the teams most frequently tied to Hopkins — joining the Bucs and Rams near the bottom of the league in cap space, both AFC contenders also sit in the bottom five in dead money.

Latest On Giants’ Offensive Line

June 1st, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants selecting John Michael Schmitz in Round 2, making the Minnesota product the first pure center drafted this year, points to four positions along their offensive line being solidified. Schmitz earning the starting snapper gig would mean he accompanies Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal and Mark Glowinski on New York’s O-line.

With Glowinski stationed at right guard, left guard would seem the unit’s only question. That is, if Brian Daboll‘s draft-weekend assessment of Schmitz’s instant-starter capabilities turns out to be accurate. But the Giants are sending veteran Ben Bredeson into two position competitions, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.

The 2021 trade acquisition is vying for both the left guard and center positions, with Dunleavy adding the ex-Raven should probably be considered the favorite at the LG spot. The Giants used a rotation at that position last season, platooning Bredeson and Nick Gates. Washington signed Gates in free agency, clearing a path for Bredeson to earn the job outright in a contract year. Bredeson is going against fellow contract-year blocker Shane Lemieux and 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu, per Dunleavy.

Lemieux held a starting job during the second half of the 2020 season, replacing Will Hernandez and taking over after the former starter recovered, but suffered a patellar tendon tear in September 2021. That career-stalling injury delayed Lemieux’s return until late November of last year, and the former fifth-round pick only suited up for one game last season. A toe injury added to Lemieux’s early-career health issues. Ezeudu, one of two ex-North Carolina guards the Giants drafted last year (along with fifth-rounder Marcus McKethan), played 290 offensive snaps as a rookie.

Pro Football Focus graded Glowinski, a longtime Colts starter, as a top-30 guard last season. It slotted Bredeson as the best of the rest, ranking him just outside the top 50. Bredson, a former fourth-round pick, has played guard more than center and should probably be considered a long shot to beat out Schmitz at the latter spot. With Bredeson, Lemieux, Ezeudu and McKethan rostered, along with ex-Steelers center J.C. Hassenauer and 2022 second-stringer Jack Anderson, the Giants will have some decisions to make when setting their final 53. McKethan did not play last year, suffering an ACL tear during the preseason.

None of these interior blockers is in the mix to be the team’s top tackle off the bench, with Matt Peart, Korey Cunningham and Tyre Phillips are battling for the swing gig behind Thomas and Neal. Phillips, claimed off waivers from the Ravens last year, made five starts in 2022 but worked behind the other two to start OTAs. Peart and Cunningham each have six career starts, though neither has seen much time since their respective rookie years. An outside addition to work behind Thomas and Neal should not be ruled out, per Dunleavy.

These O-line competitions will not heat up until training camp, obviously, as pads do not come on until August. Despite losing Gates and 2022 center starter Jon Feliciano in free agency, the Giants have a few options along their offensive front.

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