Monday showed why they call NFL free agency, “Free Agency Frenzy.” Perhaps no team in the NFL had a more frenzy first day than the New York Giants.
The day got off to a sour start when it was announced that Saquon Barkley was signing a three-year $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. The writing had been on the wall for weeks that Barkley’s time with Big Blue could be over as general manager Joe Schoen didn’t see the upside in paying a running back eight figures annually.
With the way the NFL likes to hype games between rival teams, there’s a good chance the first matchup between the Giants and Eagles this upcoming season will either be on Sunday Night or Monday Night Football.
Barkley wasn’t the only Giants captain to sign with another team on Monday. Safety Xavier McKinney signed a four-year $68 million contract with the Green Bay Packers.
When a team is coming off a 6-11 season and loses two of its best players, you can understand why some fans would be in hysteria. But Schoen would make acquisitions that would arguably make the team better than it was at the start of the day.
Related: Updated NFL free agent tracker
Say hello to Brian Burns and the newest New York Giants
Rebuilding the offensive line was always the Giants top priority in free agency, and Schoen added two key pieces to the line that will help the team for years to come. First, he came to terms on a three-year, $30 million deal with $17 million guaranteed with former Packers guard Jon Runyan Jr. Runyan will add a physical presence to the line and he’s durable having not missed a game over the last three seasons.
Then Schoen agreed on a two-year $14 million deal with former Raider guard Jermaine Eluemunor. Eluemunor will now be reunited with Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, as both were with the Raiders during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
With Barkley leaving for the Eagles and the numerous amount of running backs that were signing with new teams, Schoen signed a running back he and head coach Brian Daboll are familiar with in Devin Singletary. The deal is for three years and $16.5 million that could reach $19.5 with incentives.
The 26-year-old Singletary played his first four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, before playing with the Houston Texans last season. He’s not the dynamic playmaker that Barkley is, but he’s a reliable and versatile back who is averaging 4.6 yards per carry for his career which is higher than Barkley’s (4.3).
But the biggest splash that the Giants made on Monday was trading for Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns and then signing him to a five-year, $150 million deal. To acquire Burns New York had to give up one of their second-round picks this year (39th overall) and a 2025 fifth-round pick. The teams will also swap fifth-round picks this year per Jordan Raanan.
The 25-year-old Burns is one of the best edge rushers in the league and is now the second highest-paid edge rusher behind Nick Bosa. In his five seasons, Burns has 46 sacks and eight force fumbles. The hope is he along with Kayvon Thibodeaux will make New York’s pass rush dominant again.
Look for Schoen to continue to bolster both the offensive line and the defensive side of the football throughout the free agency period.