'Tis the season of rumors.
With the NFL negotiating period kicking off today in advance of Wednesday's start to free agency, information is flying across the league. But what do we know for sure? Here, Giants.com looks at what we know and what we don't know at the start of a pivotal week on the NFL calendar.
What we know
Clubs are operating with a reduced salary cap
After months of speculation, the 2021 NFL salary cap was set at $182.5 million.
The new number is down from $198.2 million in 2020 as the league deals with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFL had previously set the salary cap floor at $180 million.
Starting Monday at noon, 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 at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 17.
Giants have already begun making moves
On Tuesday, nine players were designated as non-exclusive franchise players around the league, including Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams. It was the second consecutive year Williams received the franchise tag as he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after a career season in 2020. The Giants also released veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, who started all 31 games in which he played in two seasons with Big Blue.
2021 Franchise Players:
- DT Leonard Williams (Giants)
- OL Taylor Moton (Panthers)
- WR Allen Robinson (Bears)
- QB Dak Prescott* (Cowboys)
- S Justin Simmons (Broncos)
- OL Cam Robinson (Jaguars)
- S Marcus Williams (Saints)
- S Marcus Maye (Jets)
- WR Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)
*Denotes "Exclusive" Franchise Player
Giants' pending free agents
The following players are set to hit the market at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Unrestricted Free Agents:
- DB Adrian Colbert
- S Nate Ebner
- LB Kyler Fackrell
- OT Cameron Fleming
- RB Wayne Gallman
- DL Austin Johnson
- LS Casey Kreiter
- RB Dion Lewis
- QB Colt McCoy
- RB Alfred Morris
- C Spencer Pulley
- LB Jabaal Sheard
- DL Dalvin Tomlinson
- Restricted Free Agents:
- WR C.J. Board
- LB Devante Downs
Restricted Free Agents:
- WR C.J. Board
- LB Devante Downs
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
What we don't know
How will the reduced salary cap affect the Giants' plans?
A year after hitting home runs in free agency with players like linebacker Blake Martinez (defensive captain), cornerback James Bradberry (Pro Bowler), and Logan Ryan (earned contract extension in December), we will wait to see what impact free agency will have on the 2021 roster.
"The goal to best manage the cap is to get flat contracts," general manager Dave Gettleman said in a press conference last week. "So, if a guy is making $15 million – it's a 3-year deal at $45 million – you'd like to have a $15 million cap number every year, that's the goal. once you start restructuring or renegotiating, you usually back-end load them. What you're doing is you're kicking the can, so it depends upon how much pain you want to deal with. That's really what it is. Some teams philosophically say, 'The heck with it,' and they restructure and some people don't. It's a philosophical conversation, but it's not a good place to get to, to constantly restructure and renegotiate."
With or without Nate Solder, what will the offensive line look like?
Solder opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which opened the door for rookie Andrew Thomas, the fourth overall draft pick, to start at left tackle. He was one of three rookies – Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux were the others – to start at least one game on the Giants' offensive line last season. That was in addition to Nick Gates transitioning to center.
"Look, I'm not going to speak for Nate," coach Joe Judge said last week. "The answer is yes, I have talked to Nate. To be honest with you, the majority of our conversations have actually had nothing to do with football. I've talked a good bit with Nate since the end of the season and just checked up on him in terms of how the year off went, how his family is doing, how his son is doing and how he's doing personally. There have been a lot of conversations. We have talked some football. There are other areas of our building as well that are in conversations with Nate, but when the time comes to address all that we'll know. Obviously, these things don't all happen in one day and we'll see where everything goes, but these are players we'd love to have back, they're guys on our roster."
Meanwhile, Zeitler, the team's right guard, leaves a void of 135 games worth of experience up front. The offensive line will also be under new leadership again in 2021 after Judge hired Rob Sale as the position coach. Former Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty, who won two Super Bowls in his first tenure, also joined the staff as an offensive/defensive consultant.
Gettleman made it clear that he was comfortable starting two sophomores – Thomas and Peart – at the tackle spots in 2021, but what about the interior? Will the Giants bolster the group in free agency or the draft?
"Listen, every player was a rookie at some point or a young player at some point," Gettleman said. "At some point in time, you have to have confidence in who's on your club and you have to put him in there and let him play. Like I've said to some of you, how many of you had Pulitzer Prize-winning articles your first or second year?"
Sign or draft an offensive playmaker? Or both?
Accentuated by the season-ending injury to Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, the Giants are in the market for offensive weapons this offseason. Gettleman made that clear in his season-ending press conference in January, and he hasn't changed his mind two months later.
"Every team needs playmakers, let's be honest," Gettleman said. "Good Lord willing, Saquon will be 100 percent and obviously he'll make a huge difference. A healthy Saquon obviously makes a big difference, but, again, you're always looking to add good players. And, oh, by the way, we're not playing until September, so we've got free agency and we've got the draft, and we'll see how it plays out. It's not like we don't realize what we need, but, again, at the end of the day it's also about adding really good players. You can never have too many good players at any positions. Sure, we have our eye out for that, but we also have our eye out for guys that fit us culturally and fit where we're trying to get to."
With training camp here, view photos of every move made by the Giants this offseason.
DT Leonard Williams - Signed to three-year contract
WR Kenny Golladay - Free Agent Signing
CB Adoree' Jackson - Free Agent Signing
TE Kyle Rudolph - Free Agent Signing
WR John Ross - Free Agent Signing
DT Danny Shelton - Free Agent Signing
LB Reggie Ragland - Free Agent Signing
DE Ifeadi Odenigbo - Free Agent Signing
WR Kadarius Toney - Selected with 20th pick in 2021 NFL Draft
WR Kadarius Toney - Selection List Signing
LB Azeez Ojulari - Selected with 50th pick in 2021 NFL Draft
LB Azeez Ojulari - Selection List Signing
CB Aaron Robinson - Selected with 71st pick in 2021 NFL Draft
CB Aaron Robinson - Selection List Signing
LB Elerson Smith - Selected with 116th pick in 2021 NFL Draft
LB Elerson Smith - Selection List Signing
RB Gary Brightwell - Selected with 196th pick in 2021 NFL Draft
RB Gary Brightwell - Selection List Signing
CB Rodarius WIlliams - Selected with 201st pick in 2021 NFL Draft
CB Rodarius Williams - Selection List Signing
RB Saquon Barkley - Fifth-year option picked up
RB Devontae Booker - Free Agent Signing
QB Mike Glennon - Free Agent Signing
OLB Ryan Anderson - Free Agent Signing
OL Zach Fulton - Free Agent Signing
OL Jonotthan Harrison - Free Agent Signing
OL Joe Looney - Free Agent Signing
WR Damion Willis - Free Agent Signing
RB Corey Clement - Free Agent Signing
C Brett Heggie - Undrafted Free Agent Signing
G Jake Burton - Undrafted Free Agent Signing
DE Raymond Johnson - Undrafted Free Agent Signing
DT Austin Johnson - Signed to new contract with Giants
WR C.J. Board
LS Casey Kreiter - Signed to new contract with Giants
LB Devante Downs - Free Agent Signing
FB Cullen Gillaspia - Free Agent Signing
DB Joshua Kalu - Free Agent Signing
TE Cole Hikutini - Free Agent Signing
DB Chris Milton
RB Mike Weber - Free Agent Signing
DB Jordyn Peters - Free Agent Signing
WR Alex Bachman - Signed to a reserve/future deal
LB Trent Harris - Signed to a reserve/future deal
DB Montre Hartage - Signed to a reserve/future deal
TE Rysen John - Signed to a reserve/future deal
DT David Moa - Signed to a reserve/future deal
G Chad Slade - Signed to a reserve/future deal
QB Clayton Thorson - Signed to a reserve/future deal
LS Carson Tinker - Signed to a reserve/future deal
G Kenny Wiggins - Signed to a reserve/future deal
DB Jarren Williams - Signed to a reserve/future deal
DB Quincy Wilson - Signed to a reserve/future deal
OT Jackson Barton - Signed, Renegotiated Contract: Exclusive Rights
DB Madre Harper - Signed, Renegotiated Contract: Exclusive Rights
WR Derrick Dillon - Signed to a reserve/future deal
WR David Sills - Signed, Renegotiated Contract: Exclusive Rights
TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart - Signed to a reserve/future deal
LB Cale Garrett - Signed to a reserve/future deal
P Ryan Santoso - Signed to a reserve/future deal
G Kevin Zeitler - Released
WR Golden Tate - Released
RB Devonta Freeman - Waived, from Reserve/Injured
WR Da'Mari Scott - Waived, No Recall
DB Shakial Taylor - Waived, No Recall
LB David Mayo - Released
WR Cody Core - Released
CB Ryan Lewis - Waived
