The scheduled start of training camp is now less than a month away, and it’s safe to say the Giants’ virtual offseason left a lot of questions unanswered. Here are a few of the ones you had in our latest SNY Giants mailbag...
Do you think Leonard Williams will be signed to a long-term contract before training camp? -- @Bengalaxy2997
I do not think so, even though a long-term contract would ease the Giants’ salary cap burden with Williams from his “franchise tag” amount of $16.1 million to something more manageable. And there are a few reasons why:
One is that when the Giants and Williams were actually trying to get a long-term deal done late last season and earlier this offseason I never got the sense that they were particularly close in terms. Williams, from what I understand, wanted to be paid like a premier pass rusher (think $18-20 million per year) and the Giants didn’t want to pay that amount.
And now a deal like that is almost impossible to do. The NFL is facing a very uncertain season, probably with games with no fans in the stands, possibly with a reduced number of games, and almost certainly with a big loss of revenue. That will affect the 2021 salary cap and maybe future caps, too. Since no one is sure exactly how, it’s hard to offer players big deals right now.
But there’s also this: While Giants GM Dave Gettleman is all in on Williams after his controversial trade for him last October, I don’t think everyone else in the organization is. Gettleman is on the hot seat and the Williams trade could be one of his biggest mistakes.
It’s hard to see John Mara and Steve Tisch doubling down on that deal with a big contract when even they don’t know if Gettleman will be here next season. And does Joe Judge want Williams? Who knows?
So there’s too much uncertainty and not enough common ground for a deal to make sense. My guess is the July 15 deadline to sign Williams will pass quietly and maybe they’ll all revisit a long-term deal after the season. Maybe.
What is the status of Markus Golden? Are there any teams speaking to him or is it definite he will become a Giant on July 22nd? -- @jackziegler24
The status of Golden is basically unchanged. He’s still a free agent and, since the Giants put the “May 5 tender” on him, he’s only got until July 22 (or the first day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later – and that may turn out to be July 28) to find a new team, otherwise his only option is to sign a one-year, $4.125 million deal with the Giants.
And there is no indication that any other team is interested in signing him for more than that.
It’s always possible someone has talked to him or his agent, of course, and that we just don’t know it. But I think it’s clear that if someone wanted Golden for more than that amount he would’ve signed already. He’s been a free agent now for 3 ½ months and that red-line price of $4.125 million has been set for two of them. Everyone knows the deal, but no other team has stepped up.
Will that change? Deadlines often spur action and maybe some team that had a lukewarm interest will have a late change of heart. But for the most part, teams aren’t flush with cap room right now and their rosters are fairly set. My sense is the Giants feel pretty confident Golden will be coming back to them.
The Giants defense is a well-deserved weak spot. Any player(s) you see taking a big leap this year to change that? – @pcdm2311
If Dave Gettleman wants to keep his job, they all better take a big leap forward. He has invested so much of his draft capital and free-agent money in the defensive side of the ball, he needs to be able to show proof that it was all worth it. Right now, the only thing he can say is it’s a young defense with promising talent. But now it needs to produce.
This is a bit of a hunch because we haven’t had an offseason to watch the players on the field or talk to them (or the coaches, really) about the new schemes or how they’ll be used. But if I were going to pick someone on defense who will make a big leap, I’d focus on two guys: Linebacker Lorenzo Carter and safety Jabrill Peppers.
I thought Peppers was really starting to play well last season before he broke his back, and was beginning to emerge as a defensive leader. He’s now entering his fourth NFL season and he’s still only 25. He’s got plenty of ability, and if I think new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham saw from his time in New England how to turn safeties into impact players.
As for the 24-year-old Carter, there’s obviously a big opening for a pass rusher to develop on the Giants’ defense. He’s shown so many flashes in his first two seasons, but he just hasn’t put it all together. Maybe Graham will use him as a situational pass rusher.
That makes sense since Golden may be back and they signed Kyler Fackrell, so Carter’s opportunities could be limited. But I think the expectation with the Giants is that Carter is close to being a really good player so they’ll find the best way to use him. I believe his sack numbers will go up.
Give me the biggest reason why projections rank the Giants defense 31st after finishing 30th last year. -- @Phoffjr
The Giants defense actually ranked 25th overall last season, but 30th in points allowed. And remarkably they’ve been ranked 24th or lower for three straight years, five of the last six, and seven of the last nine. That’s probably the easiest answer to your question: Why should anyone have any faith that they’ll get it right now?
Of course, they do have better talent now than they did last year, with the addition of free agents like cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez. But I assume much of the projections are about a lack of faith in the young players Gettleman has brought in. There are understandable and obvious questions about how good the secondary can be and where the pass rush is going to come from this season.
I wouldn’t project them that low, but I wouldn’t exactly expect a Big Blue Wrecking Crew kind of defense, either. I think there is talent there and it will grow and get better. I have no idea how they’ll rush the passer, and that’s a problem. But I trust that Graham learned a thing or two from his years in New England, where Bill Belichick was a master at getting the most out of the talent he had.
It’s faith, but I believe the scheme alone will make the defense better – even though I realize that didn’t work for him in Miami -- and that at least some of the young players Gettleman has brought in will prove to be good. I’m not sure that’s enough to get them into the top half of the league rankings, but even a jump to middle-of-the-road would be a welcomed improvement.
Are the Giants interested in Justin Britt? -- @GiantsVidal1027
I haven’t heard of any interest from the Giants in the free agent center, but it’s possible they’ll take a look at some point. They are thin at center as they wait to see if Jon Halapio can fully recover from his Achilles tear. They have Spencer Pulley, but they’re so concerned about the position that they’ve flirted with the idea of using tackle Nick Gates there or maybe moving rookie guard Shane Lemieux into the middle.
So there’s no doubt they’ll keep their eyes open for upgrades. But remember, Britt tore his ACL back in October so he’s not healthy. And thanks to the pandemic, no team could bring him in for a physical to check his progress. The Giants do have the cap room to sign someone if they want (about $16.6 million at the moment) so it wouldn’t be surprising if they bring him in for a physical at some point this summer.