On Monday, the New York Giants were able to find a solid bit of wiggle room that could allow them to add an impact veteran right before the start of the 2023 NFL season.
The New York Giants are just a few days away from a highly anticipated campaign. After five straight losing seasons, Big Blue was able to catapult themselves back into relevancy last season with the help of first-year head coach Brian Daboll. The former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator brought some fresh concepts on offense but also an old-school toughness.
Under his leadership, Saquon Barkey returned to his Pro Bowl form and Daniel Jones started to show the potential the franchise saw when they took him with the sixth pick overall in 2019. The team earned a playoff spot in 2022 and won their first postseason game in over a decade.
In the offseason, the front office made several key moves, including trading for one-time Pro Bowler Darren Waller. However, the biggest decision the organization made was to give Jones a massive four-year, $160 million contract. Many frowned at the size of the pact based on his resume, however, it was something the team needed to do to secure a winning squad this season.
However, the team and QB did something today that many other stars and organizations around the league have done and found a way to rework the deal and free up some salary cap space. “The Giants have restructured the contract of QB Daniel Jones, converting $8.42M of his base salary into a signing bonus and creating $6.315M in cap space,” ESPN NFL reporter Field Yates revealed on Monday.
While the New York Giants have an improved roster, you can never have enough depth and talent. With that in mind, let’s look at four veteran impact players the franchise could target with that extra money before their season opener on Sept. 10.
5 potential New York Giants free agent targets before Week 1
Jarvis Landry
While Waller should be a huge help to the New York passing game in 2023 they still need more weapons. Free agent addition Parris Campbell will help, 2022 rookie Wan’Dale Robinson is back healthy, and 2023 rookie Jalin Hyatt should also add something. However, they could still use a proven veteran who can help guide their young receiver corps. and lead by example.
Five-time Pro-Bowler Jarvis Landry is at a point in his career where he needs to be on his best behavior and try and squeeze out some solid paydays before his career ends. This makes a partnership with the Giants potentially a win for both sides.
Anthony Barr
Barr is a four-time Pro Bowler whose best days are behind him but he can add more veteran leadership and depth to a defense that is still a work in progress. The organization already met with him recently, and with more money to burn, they can finalize the deal they already spoke about.
Ben Jones
The New York Giants’ offensive line on the outside is fairly strong, however, the interior has been a problem for quite some time and was hampered by injuries in 2022. There are solid pieces in place with the likes of Mark Glowinski and John Michael Schmitz Jr. but if they wanted to strengthen the unit, 2022 Pro Bowler Ben Jones would be a worthwhile addition.
The 11-year veteran is battle-tested and would give the G-Men a big-time talent at a very important spot on the offensive line.
Casey Hayward
In today’s game, you can never have enough talent in the secondary, and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Casey Hayward would be a great addition to add depth to a secondary that got better later in the season. While he isn’t the player he once was at 33, he still adds a very competent talent to the back end of Don “Wink” Martindale’s on-the-rise defense.
Julio Jones
Just like Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones would be another great option to add more proven yet affordable depth to the team’s wide receiver corps. The seven-time Pro Bowler is at the end of his career, but he still garners respect from opposing defenses, and as a second or third receiver, he would be an impact addition for the New York Giants pass game in 2023.