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Last year, the New York Giants' big push was to find both long-term and short-term solutions at quarterback. They did that by drafting Jaxson Dart in the first round and adding veteran backup Jameis Winston to the roster as a free agent.
This year, the initiative was to fix their porous defense, which was a sieve against the run and prone to massive, historic late-game meltdowns.
With new head coach John Harbaugh and returning general manager Joe Schoen working as a team, the Giants focused on fixing their defense.
But first, they had to take a step backward by trading disgruntled Pro Bowl nose tackle Dexter Lawrence -- a move that returned them a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL draft (used to select OL Francis Mauigoa) and freed up approximately $13 million in salary cap space.
Schoen and Harbaugh went to work, inking linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the first wave of free agency and adding linebacker Arvell Reese, cornerback Colton Hood, defensive tackle Bobby Jamison-Travis, and linebacker Jack Kelly in the draft.
They would go on to sign a bunch of other veterans as free agency went on, such as five interior linemen (headed by D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris), and defensive backs Greg Newsome II, Ar'Darius Washington, and Jason Pinnock.
The shopping spree has moved the Giants up to second overall in the NFL in defensive spending this season ($154.8 million) behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers ($162.3 million).
Last year, they were third in the NFL in defensive spending, with Lawrence's $23.9 million cap hit leading the way. But they only used $86.2 million of their cap space on defense. That's nearly half of what they'll spend this year.
Four of the Giants' top five paid players are on defense: Cornerback Paulson Adebo ($24.2 million), linebacker Brian Burns ($21.3 million), safety Jevon Holland ($18.5 million), and linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux ($14.7 million). The only offensive player in the top five is wide receiver Darius Slayton ($15.9 million).
The Giants' defensive cap number for 2027 is not projected to be as much (123.9 million, 12th overall) as this season, but that's a long way down the road. There will likely be several contract extensions and free agent adds over the next year.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants are No. 2 in defensive spending
Continue reading...
This year, the initiative was to fix their porous defense, which was a sieve against the run and prone to massive, historic late-game meltdowns.
With new head coach John Harbaugh and returning general manager Joe Schoen working as a team, the Giants focused on fixing their defense.
But first, they had to take a step backward by trading disgruntled Pro Bowl nose tackle Dexter Lawrence -- a move that returned them a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL draft (used to select OL Francis Mauigoa) and freed up approximately $13 million in salary cap space.
Schoen and Harbaugh went to work, inking linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the first wave of free agency and adding linebacker Arvell Reese, cornerback Colton Hood, defensive tackle Bobby Jamison-Travis, and linebacker Jack Kelly in the draft.
They would go on to sign a bunch of other veterans as free agency went on, such as five interior linemen (headed by D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris), and defensive backs Greg Newsome II, Ar'Darius Washington, and Jason Pinnock.
The shopping spree has moved the Giants up to second overall in the NFL in defensive spending this season ($154.8 million) behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers ($162.3 million).
Last year, they were third in the NFL in defensive spending, with Lawrence's $23.9 million cap hit leading the way. But they only used $86.2 million of their cap space on defense. That's nearly half of what they'll spend this year.
Four of the Giants' top five paid players are on defense: Cornerback Paulson Adebo ($24.2 million), linebacker Brian Burns ($21.3 million), safety Jevon Holland ($18.5 million), and linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux ($14.7 million). The only offensive player in the top five is wide receiver Darius Slayton ($15.9 million).
The Giants' defensive cap number for 2027 is not projected to be as much (123.9 million, 12th overall) as this season, but that's a long way down the road. There will likely be several contract extensions and free agent adds over the next year.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants are No. 2 in defensive spending
Continue reading...
