The NFL set the salary cap for the 2022 season at $208.2 million per team, an increase of $25.7 million from last year's cap of $182.5 million. The league decreased the 2021 threshold due to the COVID-19 pandemic after a steady annual increase of at least $10 million.
General manager Joe Schoen has been open about the Giants' need to get in better shape regarding the cap, a process that included the release of veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph and running back Devontae Booker.
"We've got to have contingency plans and kind of the 'if/then' scenarios," Schoen said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We went through a lot of those. If we don't get to where we have money that we can do something in free agency, then it's going to be hard. Again, back to my introductory press conference, we want to be competitive today and also build for tomorrow. I think if we're able to do this the right way, I think there's a real possibility that we're going to be able to do that."
The 2022 league year and free agency period begin at 4 p.m. ET on March 16. It follows a two-day period when clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with, the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents. No prospective unrestricted free agent is permitted to execute a contract with a new club until the new league year begins.
The Giants currently have 22 pending unrestricted free agents, three restricted free agents, and five exclusive rights free agents.
Unrestricted Free Agents (22)
- WR C.J. Board
- LB Lorenzo Carter
- CB Keion Crossen
- OT Korey Cunningham
- S Nate Ebner
- TE Evan Engram
- QB Mike Glennon
- G Will Hernandez
- DL Austin Johnson
- LS Casey Kreiter
- LB Benardrick McKinney
- FB Elijhaa Penny
- S Jabrill Peppers
- WR Dante Pettis
- OL Billy Price
- LB Reggie Ragland
- WR John Ross
- DL Danny Shelton
- OL Matt Skura
- LB Jaylon Smith
- OT Nate Solder
- TE Levine Toilolo
Restricted Free Agents (3)
- FB Cullen Gillaspia
- DB Joshua Kalu
- DB Steven Parker
Exclusive Rights Free Agents (5)
- QB Jake Fromm
- OL Kyle Murphy
- DB J.R. Reed
- WR David Sills
- DB Jarren Williams
NFL.com updated its rankings of the top 101 players set to become free agents on March 16.
No. 101: QB Andy Dalton
No. 100 ILB Jayon Brown
No. 99: DT Harrison Phillips (Update: Phillips has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Vikings)
No. 98: OLB Leighton Vander Esch
No. 97: G Andrew Norwell
No. 96: OLB Dante Fowler Jr.
No. 95: CB Joe Haden
No. 94: OT Riley Reiff
No. 93: EDGE Lorenzo Carter
No. 92: RB Raheem Mostert
No. 91: LB Dont'a Hightower
No. 90: DB P.J. Williams
No. 89: DT Larry Ogunjobi (Update: Ogunjobi has agreed to a deal with the Bears)
No. 88: TE Zach Ertz (Update: Ertz has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Cardinals)
No. 87: QB Marcus Mariota
No. 86: CB Kevin King
No. 85: S Xavier Woods (Update: Woods has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Panthers)
No. 84: P Bryan Anger
No. 83: CB Charvarius Ward (Update: Ward has agreed to a multi-year contract with the 49ers)
No. 82: G Austin Corbett (Update: Corbett has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Panthers)
No. 81: S Devin McCourty (Update: McCourty has agreed to a new contract with the Patriots)
No. 80: S Tracy Walker (Update: Walker has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Lions)
No. 79: OT Morgan Moses (Update: Moses agreed to a multi-year contract with the Ravens)
No. 78: RB Chase Edmonds (Update: Edmonds has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Dolphins)
No. 77: LB Foye Oluokun (Update: Olukun has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Jaguars)
No. 76: WR Jamison Crowder
No. 75: CB Patrick Peterson
No. 74: DL Ndamukong Suh
No. 73: DT Sheldon Richardson
No. 72: TE O.J. Howard (Update: Howard has agreed to a contract with the Bills)
No. 71: DL B.J. Hill (Update: Hill has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Bengals)
No. 70: DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (Update: Joseph-Day has agreed to a contract with the Chargers)
No. 69: EDGE Uchenna Nwosu (Update: Nwosu has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Seahawks)
No. 68: EDGE Arden Key
No. 67: LB Kyzir White
No. 66: CB Donte Jackson
No. 65: S Jayron Kearse
No. 64: EDGE Derek Barnett
No. 63: RB Melvin Gordon
No. 62: RB Leonard Fournette
No. 61: CB Casey Hayward
No. 60: S Jordan Whitehead (Update: Whitehead has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Jets)
No. 59: RB Rashaad Penny
No. 58: EDGE Justin Houston
No. 57: S Justin Reid (Update: Reid has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Chiefs)
No. 56: DT Foley Fatukasi (Update: Fatukasi has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Jaguars)
No. 55: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
No. 54: OLB Anthony Barr
No. 53: S DeShon Elliott
No. 52: RB James Conner (Update: Conner has agreed to a new multi-year deal with the Cardinals)
No. 51: WR D.J. Chark (Update: Chark has agreed to a contract with the Lions)
No. 50: G Alex Cappa (Update: Cappa has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Bengals)
No. 49: CB Bryce Callahan
No. 48: CB Rasul Douglas
No. 47: DL Bilal Nichols
No. 46: G Connor Williams (Update: Williams has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Dolphins)
No. 45: OT Eric Fisher
No. 44: WR Will Fuller V
No. 43: G Laken Tomlinson (Update: Tomlinson agreed to a multi-year contract with the Jets)
No. 42: TE Evan Engram (Update: Engram has agreed to a contract with the Jaguars)
No. 41: RB/WR Cordarrelle Patterson
No. 40: CB Darious Williams (Update: Williams has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Jaguars)
No. 39: WR Christian Kirk (Update: Kirk has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Jaguars)
No. 38: CB D.J. Reed (Update: Reed has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Jets)
No. 37: OT Trent Brown
No. 36: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
No. 35: C Ben Jones (Update: Jones has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Titans)
No. 34: WR Russell Gage (Update: Gage has agreed to a contract with the Buccaneers)
No. 33: C Bradley Bozeman
No. 32: S Marcus Maye (Update: Maye has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Saints)
No. 31: DL Akiem Hicks
No. 30: S Quandre Diggs (Update: Diggs has agreed to a new multi-year deal with the Seahawks)
No. 29: EDGE Jerry Hughes
No. 28: DT D.J. Jones (Update: Jones has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Broncos)
No. 27: QB Teddy Bridgewater (Update: Bridgewater has agreed to a contract with the Dolphins)
No. 26: OT Joe Noteboom (Update: Noteboom has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Rams)
No. 25: TE Rob Gronkowski
No. 24: EDGE Melvin Ingram
No. 23: EDGE Haason Reddick (Update: Reddick has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Eagles)
No. 22: G James Daniels (Update: Daniels has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Steelers)
No. 21: DL Calais Campbell
No. 20: WR Michael Gallup (Update: Gallup has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Cowboys)
No. 19: LB De'Vondre Campbell (Update: Campbell has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Packers)
No. 18: EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
No. 17: LB Bobby Wagner
No. 16: EDGE Randy Gregory (Update: Gregory has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Broncos)
No. 15: QB Jameis Winston
No. 14: OT Duane Brown
No. 13: CB Stephon Gilmore
No. 12: C Ryan Jensen (Update: Jensen has agreed to a new multi-year deal with the Buccaneers)
No. 11: WR Odell Beckham Jr.
No. 10: G Brandon Scherff (Update: Scherff agreed to a multi-year deal with the Jaguars)
No. 9: EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah (Update: Ogbah has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Dolphins)
No. 8: WR Allen Robinson
No. 7: S Marcus Williams (Update: Williams has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Ravens)
No. 6: S Tyrann Mathieu
No. 5: EDGE Chandler Jones (Update: Jones has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Raiders)
No. 4: CB Carlton Davis (Update: Davis has agreed to a new multi-year contract with the Buccaneers)
No. 3: EDGE Von Miller (Update: Miller has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Bills)
No. 2: CB J.C. Jackson (Update: Jackson has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Chargers)
No. 1: OT Terron Armstead
