The New York Giants are putting off signing another free agent for one significant reason.
The New York Giants have definitely been active on the free-agent market this offseason, making a plethora of additions on both sides of the ball.
But are they done?
The Giants still have several clear needs on their roster, and while they can try to address them via the NFL Draft, it would still be nice to bring in an established veteran to help plug one of those holes.
So why isn't New York making a move?
Well, the salary cap is an issue at the current point in time. After releasing kicker Graham Gano over the weekend, the Giants now have around $7.5 million in cap space. It's enough to sign a free agent, but they would barely be left with anything afterward.
Considering New York still needs to sign its draft picks and keep some holdover cash to guard against injuries and for midseason additions, it can't afford to spend basically all of its cap.
That means the Giants will need to open up some more cap room, which is feasible. But New York be holding off on making a push to sign another free agent for one critical reason: compensatory picks.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen said as much as the annual league meeting on Monday afternoon.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh. Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images.“It’s one of those, it could be four (fourth round), five, six or nothing,” Schoen said the potential compensatory pick, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic. “Some of it is out of your hands, like injury, play time — you don’t know. But as of right now, we’ll see how it plays out, but we would be hopeful right now that we could get one.”
The deciding factor could be former Giants center Austin Schlottman, who signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the Tennessee Titans (along with a zillion other ex-Big Blue players) in free agency.
If Schlottman gets enough playing time in 2026, it could result in New York bagging a fourth-round selection.
"That could lead the Giants to sit on their hands until the Monday after the draft, when signings no longer count against the comp-pick formula," Duggan wrote.
Duggan added that the Baltimore Ravens had a history of making post-draft additions during John Harbaugh's days there, and he specifically mentioned defensive tackle Shelby Harris as a possibility for New York.
"The Giants hosted veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris for a visit last week," Duggan added. "Harris left without signing a contract, but it’s conceivable the sides could have established loose parameters for a post-draft signing."
Defensive tackle is definitely one of New York's most pressing needs, so it will be interesting to see if the G-Men do acquire a veteran there.
Then again, it's also possible that the Giants draft a defensive tackle, especially given how deep the position is in this year's class.
NY Giants Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Giants. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.