Important 2021 offseason dates
We are now just over a week away from the start of the new league year.
With the league calendar finally ready to flip to 2021, it is important to remember a few significant dates approaching in the coming months.
The first date has already passed, as February 23 represented the beginning of the two-week period in which teams can designate Franchise or Transition players. That two-week period comes to an end at 4:00 pm tomorrow, meaning teams must place the tag on players prior to tomorrow's deadline.
In case you need a refresher, here are the key dates to keep an eye on as the offseason officially begins:
March 9
Deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 15-17
Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2020 player contracts. They cannot sign until the start of the new league year.
March 17
The 2021 league year and free agency period begin at 4:00 p.m. ET.
April 23
Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign offer sheets.
April 29-May 1
2021 NFL Draft, Cleveland, Ohio.
View NFL.com's updated rankings of the top 101 free agents of 2021 ahead of the new league year, which begins March 17.
No. 101 QB Mitchell Trubisky
No. 100 EDGE Everson Griffen
No. 99 DT Al-Quadin Muhammad
No. 98 CB Chidobe Awuzie (Update: The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to a deal with Awuzie.)
No. 97 EDGE Kerry Hyder
No. 96 WR Breshad Perriman
No. 95 RB James White
No. 94 DT Kawann Short
No. 93 RB James Conner
No. 92 S Kareem Jackson
No. 91 TE Dan Arnold
No. 90 DT Lawrence Guy
No. 89 WR Emmanuel Sanders
No. 88 CB Troy Hill
No. 87 S Malik Hooker
No. 86 EDGE Takkarist McKinley (The Cleveland Browns have reportedly agreed to a deal with McKinley.)
No. 85 G Kyle Long
No. 84 CB Casey Hayward Jr.
No. 83 CB Quinton Dunbar
No. 82 NT Tyson Alualu Update: The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a deal with Alualu.)
No. 81 DE Derek Wolfe (Update: The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a three-year deal with Wolfe.)
No. 80 OT Kelvin Beachum (Update: The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to a two-year deal with Beachum).
No. 79 RB Marlon Mack
No. 78 CB Bashaud Breeland
No. 77 QB Tyrod Taylor
No. 76 EDGE Aldon Smith
No. 75 DB Desmond King II
No. 74 OT Alejandro Villanueva
No. 73 RB Duke Johnson
No. 72 TE Gerald Everett
No. 71 OT Riley Reiff
No. 70 S Keanu Neal
No. 69 DT Sheldon Rankins
No. 68 WR Cordarrelle Patterson
No. 67 C Austin Reiter
No. 66 S Xavier Woods
No. 65 LB Kyle Van Noy
No. 64 DT Ndamukong Suh
No. 63 DT Larry Ogunjobi
No. 62 CB Patrick Peterson
No. 61 RB Kenyan Drake
No. 60 CB K'Waun Williams
No. 59 S Jaquiski Tartt
No. 58 NT DaQuan Jones
No. 57 CB Janoris Jenkins
No. 56 WR Antonio Brown
No. 55 QB Jacoby Brissett
No. 54 CB Michael Davis (Update: The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to a multi-year deal with Davis.)
No. 53 CB Xavier Rhodes
No. 52 WR Sammy Watkins
No. 51 CB Richard Sherman
No. 50 DE Denico Autry
No. 49 WR Marvin Jones (Update: The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a deal with Jones.)
No. 48 WR John Brown
No. 47 CB Malcolm Butler
No. 46 WR Nelson Agholor (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Agholor.)
No. 45 TE Rob Gronkowski
No. 44 LB K.J. Wright
No. 43 OT Eric Fisher
No. 42 RB Chris Carson
No. 41 EDGE Melvin Ingram
No. 40 CB Mike Hilton (Update: The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to a deal with Hilton.)
No. 39 S Anthony Harris
No. 38 C David Andrews
No. 37 QB Andy Dalton
No. 36 CB Adoree' Jackson
No. 35 EDGE Carlos Dunlap
No. 34 WR T.Y. Hilton
No. 33 CB Ronald Darby (Update: The Denver Broncos have reportedly agreed to a deal with Darby.)
No. 32 CB Jason Verrett
No. 31 LB Jayon Brown
No. 30 EDGE Haason Reddick
No. 29 EDGE Justin Houston
No. 28 C Rodney Hudson
No. 27 DE Shelby Harris (Update: The Denver Broncos have agreed to a three-year deal with Harris.)
No. 26 OT Mitchell Schwartz
No. 25 CB William Jackson (Update: The Washington Football Team has agreed to terms with Jackson.)
No. 24 EDGE Leonard Floyd (Update: The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to a four-year deal with Floyd.)
No. 23 S John Johnson (Update: The Cleveland Browns have reportedly agreed to a deal with Johnson.)
No. 22 DL Dalvin Tomlinson (The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to a deal with Tomlinson.)
No. 21 WR Corey Davis (Update: The New York Jets have reportedly agreed to a deal with Davis.)
No. 20 EDGE Romeo Okwara (Update: The Detroit Lions have signed Okwara to a multi-year deal.)
No. 19 QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Update: The Washington Football Team have reportedly agreed to a deal with Fitzpatrick.)
No. 18 CB Shaquill Griffin (Update: The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a deal with Griffin.)
No. 17 TE Hunter Henry (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Henry.)
No. 16 TE Jonnu Smith (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Smith.)
No. 15 WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
No. 14 WR Curtis Samuel
No. 13 QB Jameis Winston (Update: The New Orleans Saints have agreed to a one-year contract with Winston.)
No. 12 WR Will Fuller
No. 11 EDGE Yannick Ngakoue
No. 10 C Corey Linsley
No. 9 EDGE Matt Judon (Update: The New England Patriots have reportedly agreed to a deal with Judon.)
No. 8 G Joe Thuney
No. 7 EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
No. 6 WR Kenny Golladay
No. 5 EDGE Carl Lawson (Update: The New York Jets have reportedly agreed to a deal with Lawson.)
No. 4 EDGE Trey Hendrickson (Update: The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to a deal with Hendrickson.)
No. 3 EDGE Bud Dupree
No. 2 EDGE Shaquil Barrett (Update: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed Barrett to a multi-year deal.)
No. 1 OT Trent Williams
James Jones' top WRs to pursue in free agency or draft
The Giants will look to fill some holes on the roster this offseason. Following the release of veteran Golden Tate earlier this week, it appears as if wide receiver could be one of the positions they look to add to.
The front office has some options on how they can address the wide receiver position. Free agency kicks off next week, and 14 of NFL.com's top 101 players that are currently set to hit the open market play wide receiver. Additionally, three wide receivers fall in the top 10 of Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft, with another four receivers landing in the top 50.
NFL Network's James Jones compiled a list of the top 10 wide receivers worth pursuing this offseason, via free agency or the draft. No matter what direction the Giants decide to go in, it is clear that the team has some options at the receiver position.
Here are Jones' receivers worth going after this offseason:
1. Kenny Golladay (Free Agent)
"This might surprise some people, but it shouldn't. Not when you look a little closer. Golladay is one of the very best deep threats when healthy -- which he wasn't in 2020, playing only five games due to a hip injury. But back in 2019, Babytron ranked among the top two in the league in all major deep passing categories (passes of 20-plus air yards), including targets (32, first), receptions (13, tied for second), yards (546, second) and touchdowns (five, tied for first), according to Next Gen Stats. The 6-foot-4, 214-pounder is physical, wins the contested catches and should be fresh heading into the 2021 season. It doesn't matter the coverage -- Golladay finds a way to get open and make plays, and we saw it weekly during the 2018 and '19 seasons in Detroit." -- Jones
2. Allen Robinson (Free Agent)
"Robinson has made a name for himself with his superb route running and hands while playing with subpar quarterbacks throughout his seven-year career. He routinely beats defenders off the line and is always open. Always. The veteran has been the most consistent part of the Chicago Bears' offense since he arrived in 2018 -- especially over the last two seasons, when he amassed 200 receptions, 2,397 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns for the sometimes-stagnant unit. Robinson could get tagged, but his production merits a long-term deal." -- Jones
3. Marvin Jones (Free Agent)
4. T.Y. Hilton (Free Agent)
5. Chris Godwin (Free Agent)
6. Corey Davis (Free Agent)
"A first-round pick in 2017, Davis hasn't lived up to his draft standing just yet, as he's battled nagging injuries that have prevented him from being a consistent baller. But we have seen glimpses. He's coming off his best campaign, in which he finished just shy of 1,000 receiving yards and had five 100-yard games, including a monstrous 11-catch, 182-yard effort in Week 12. Davis has all of the ability and tools to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. With the right fit and some better luck on the health side, I believe he meets his potential at his next stop." -- Jones
7. DeVonta Smith (Draft)
"The top three receivers in this year's draft class feel somewhat interchangeable, as each has the skill set to become a No. 1 receiver at the next level, but I gotta say my favorite is Smith. He's extremely quick off the line of scrimmage and possesses elite playmaking ability with the ball in his hands. If there's a team still searching for a big-time receiver come April, Smith's your guy." -- Jones
8. Ja'Marr Chase (Draft)
9. JuJu Smith-Schuster (Free Agent)
10. Jaylen Waddle (Draft)
"Waddle reminds me a lot of San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk, a first-round pick in 2020. With the ball in his hands, Waddle is explosive, powerful and so versatile. I envision the flashy playmaker thriving on reverses and screens while lining up inside or outside the numbers." -- Jones
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah updated his ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft for the final time before the start of the draft.
No. 50 Georgia CB Eric Stokes
No. 49 Oregon S Jevon Holland
No. 48 LSU WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
No. 47 Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg
No. 46 Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth
No. 45 Wisconsin-Whitewater IOL Quinn Meinerz
No. 44 Oklahoma EDGE Ronnie Perkins
No. 43 Alabama DT Christian Barmore
No. 42 Houston EDGE Payton Turner
No. 41 Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman
No. 40 Alabama IOL Landon Dickerson
No. 39 Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr.
No. 38 Virginia Tech OT Christian Darrisaw
No. 37 North Dakota State OT Dillon Radunz
No. 36 Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins
No. 35 Michigan OT Jalen Mayfield
No. 34 Missouri LB Nick Bolton
No. 33 Washington EDGE Joe Tryon
No. 32 Alabama QB Mac Jones
No. 31 Penn State EDGE Jayson Oweh
No. 30 Georgia EDGE Azeez Ojulari
No. 29 Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike
No. 28 Florida WR Kadarius Toney
No. 27 Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II
No. 26 Mississippi WR Elijah Moore
No. 25 North Carolina RB Javonte Williams
No. 24 Tulsa LB Zaven Collins
No. 23 Kentucky LB Jamin Davis
No. 22 Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley
No. 21 Miami EDGE Jaelan Phillips
No. 20 Alabama RB Najee Harris
No. 19 Clemson RB Travis Etienne
No. 18 Miami EDGE Gregory Rousseau
No. 17 Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye
No. 16 TCU S Trevon Moehrig
No. 15 Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
No. 14 South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn
No. 13 USC OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
No. 12 Penn State LB Micah Parsons
No. 11 Oregon OT Penei Sewell
No. 10 Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater
No. 9 Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II
No. 8 Ohio State QB Justin Fields
No. 7 North Dakota State QB Trey Lance
No. 6 Alabama WR DeVonta Smith
No. 5 Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
No. 4 BYU QB Zach Wilson
No. 3 LSU WR Ja'Marr Chase
No. 2 Florida TE Kyle Pitts
No. 1 Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence
Peter King on Giants' potential offseason plans
Peter King of NBC Sports joined Giants.com's John Schmeelk to talk about the state of the team and what it should do in the draft and free agency.
Check out the video below to watch King's full conversation with Schmeelk.
