Giants Free Agency Targets: Offense

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen enters his second offseason with plenty of work cut out for him. Big Blue’s two most prominent players, quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, are pending free agents. Other notable contributors such as safetey Julian Love, guard/center Nick Gates, and receivers Darius Slayton and Richie James are also pending free agents. Schoen faces critical decisions about which players to re-sign, and which players to let go.

Schoen has spoken publicly about his desire to keep Jones, but the futures of others are murkier. Spotrac projects the Giants to have $43,151,832 in salary cap space, but that number will dwindle significantly should Schoen bring back most of the aforementioned players. That won’t leave Schoen with very much money to go out and sign free agents from other teams, which he’ll certainly look to do to help nourish a needy roster. So, here are a few affordable mid-level free agents that New York could pursue.

Today, let’s focus on potential offensive free-agency targets.

WR Nelson Agholor

Most Giants fans still likely remember Agholor as the former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles who struggled through his rookie contract with a terrible case of the dropsies. But the USC product reinvented himself as a deep threat with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, racking up 896 receiving yards on over 18 yards per catch. Agholor spun that breakout season into a 2-year, $22 million deal with the New England Patriots. He underwhelmed in a limited Patriots offense, failing to even match his 2020 single-season production over two years in New England. As such, he could probably be signed prettly cheaply, maybe in the $5-$8 million per year range. He could be a field-stretching role for Big Blue if Slayton isn’t retained.

TE Austin Hooper

The Giants got through all of last season with a remarkably thin tight end room. Rookie fourth-round pick Daniel Bellinger was the undisputed starter when healthy, and the rest of the depth chart was filled with practice squad-level journeymen. Bellinger had a decent year for a rookie, but New York could certainly use more quality options at the position. Hooper is a proven pass catcher with with two Pro Bowl selections on his resume. The seven-year veteran hasn’t come close to matching his career-high production (787 receiving yards, six touchdowns) from 2019. That means the Giants should be able to sign him to a fairly inexpensive deal. Spotrac has is market value at $6.7 million annually. Hooper could be a nice pass-catching compliment to the more blocking-inclined Bellinger.

OG Ben Powers

Slowly and maybe not so surely, the Giants are rebuilding their offensive line back to respectability. Left tackle Andrew Thomas is an established All Pro. Right tackle Evan Neal was a top-10 pick just a year ago. The interior of the offensive line, however, is where the question marks arise. Right guard Mark Glowinski is entering the second year with Big Blue after coming over in free agency. He’ll likely start again even if his play last year was underwhelming. Center and left guard are completely up in the air. Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates are both unrestricted free agents, while Joshua Ezeudu, Ben Bredeson, and Shane Lemieux are all young and unproven. Powers can come in and sure up left guard, allowing for a healthy competition between some of the aforementioned names for starting center. The Baltimore Raven started all 17 games last season without committing a single penalty. Spotrac puts his market value at $9.4 million annually.

WR Mecole Hardman

After the big decisions on Jones and Barkley, the next item Schoen’s offseason to-do list should be adding speed and explosiveness to Big Blue’s receiving corps. Hardman certainly brings those elements, as he ran a blazing 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the 2019 draft combine. The Georgia product never developed into the quality number-two receiver the Kansas City Chiefs hoped for when they took him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Just once in his four-year career has he managed over 50 catches and 40 yards per game. Still, his speed is a legitimate threat, and it might be one the Giants are willing to pay up for. According to Spotrac, Hardman’s market value comes in at $10.3 million annually.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.