The Giants have some big decisions to make this offseason with key players either heading to free agency or coming into the last year of their contracts.
With little wiggle room to work with under the salary cap, we'll take a look at these players and whether or not they should stay or go.
Let's break down the case of OLB Lorenzo Carter:
It was a contract year for Carter, the third-round pick by the Giants back in the 2018 NFL Draft. He had shown flashes of solid outside linebacker play over his first three years, especially in the beginning of Year 3 before an Achilles injury suffered in Dallas ended his season prematurely.
So he had a little chip on his shoulder coming into this season, hoping he would do enough to get himself a new deal with the Giants or elsewhere in the NFL.
But Carter had a rough go for the most part. He struggled to find production, especially getting the quarterback to the ground. Through his first seven games, he didn't have a sack. And then he missed a few weeks due to injury before returning in Week 12.
However, once he made his return to the defense, Carter began to heat up. Zero sacks turned into five over his last four games of the season, with seven quarterback hits and 22 combined tackles. The strong finish to the season was just what he needed to show the Giants he might have more where that came from.
Will they think so? Let's break down each case:
The Giants brought Carter in from Georgia not just because of his ability to get into the backfield during his college days, but also his affinity to go sideline to sideline no matter where the ball was. We saw a lot of that in his four seasons, though the numbers might not reflect that.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has also seen Carter over the past two seasons and constantly commented on his work ethic, and how he just hoped it would translate on game day. It finally did in those final games, but Graham and Carter were both hoping his 2020 season went differently because we might not even be having this conversation if it had. He was off to that good of a start (15 tackles, one sack, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss in five games).
The Giants could use all the help they can get on the pass rush, and Carter's final games proved that he's more than capable of getting to the quarterback. And there's also a good chance Graham returns as defensive coordinator even with a new head coach coming in for Big Blue. Carter knows his assignment already in that scheme.
I think a short-term, prove-it deal would be perfect for Carter to establish that his final four games can roll over to 2022 and help the Giants win the battle in the trenches for the first time in a long time.
While you can look at the bright side of Carter's finish to the 2021-22 season, consistency is what the Giants are searching for off the edge and he hasn't been able to give them that over his rookie contract.
Carter was especially looked upon for pressure this year after then-GM Dave Gettleman didn't do much to fix the rush other than getting rookie Azeez Ojulari in the second round. But Ojulari outperformed Carter, tallying eight sacks, eight tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, and one forced fumble. Granted, he did play all 17 games, but Ojulari was clearly more effective when the two Georgia products were playing together.
With little money to go around in free agency as of now, GM Joe Schoen is going to be very cautious with whom he decides to spend on. Carter can make his case, but with offensive line troubles as well as other edge rushers who could be on prove-it deals, he might have seen enough of Carter on the outside to move on.
A prove-it deal is all Carter should be getting from the Giants if they do decide he should come back. There just hasn't been enough consistent play out of him.
And I don't think that's a bad deal for Carter if the Giants can afford to do so. He knows that the position he plays demands that type of play each week, and there's many defensive linemen to go around each year looking for the opportunity to show they can get to the passer.
Carter has the tools and maybe there is more to tap into. That final stretch of games was impressive to watch, too, as his sacks were genuine and not made due to good secondary coverage that forced the quarterback to hold onto the ball longer.
He just has to prove he can do that throughout a 17-game season instead of just four games.
