Joe Schoen gives Giants fans a spark leading into free agency
A new year means new rules when it comes to the free agent market.
The Giants are approaching the offseason with a new set of standards. No longer are they the forgotten child in the NFC east, with expectations as they approach 2023.
Free agency begins today, and teams around the league are suiting up for the fall, with everyone under the impression "this is our year."
Well, New York embodies this, and Joe Schoen's free agency philosophy proves it, as evident by some recent comments.
We’re not shopping for minimum players anymore,’’ Schoen said. “So, even players that can be really good depth players will make us that much better. So, just having the flexibility now to be creative, go get players at maybe a little bit higher value, but also able to sign, whether it’s tier three players, two, one, however you do it. We can map it out, and there’s players that we can go procure now that maybe we weren’t in the past.’
There's a lot to unpack there, but let's start with the bottom part of that quote. Schoen inherited a roster full of mistakes from the previous regime.
Saying the team was in cap "hell" when Schoen took over would be putting it mildly, as he so elegantly stated back in 2022.
Schoen has pulled the Giants out of the abyss, both in terms of on-field product and team finances, with more moves coming in the near future.
The Giants approached this offseason with the fourth most cap space in the league prior to the Daniel Jones contract.
Even after locking up the signal caller, New York still sits at a favorable $7-8 million in total operating money, pending the release of Kenny Golladay. (Figures via over-the-cap)
That is more than enough to sign mid-tier free agents, similar to the ones that Schoen alluded to.
I know that everyone wants a big time wideout to come into New York, and after a recent showcase, it's conceivable that a familiar face returns on a suitable deal.
But if OBJ isn't the right fit, perhaps it's best the Giants hold off on free agent wide receivers and target the draft class, something Schoen has hinted at.
And don't worry Giants fans, what the free agent class lacks in wideouts, it makes up for in linebackers.
Some of the names at the top of the list (yes you Tremaine Edmunds) will be a pretty penny.
But the T.J Edwards, Leighton Vander Esch, and Azeez Al-Shaair's of the world would be tremdnous upgrades over the current group, and attainable given their forecasted market value.
So buckle up Giants fans, your GM is looking to spend, and while he may do so responsibly, it doesn't mean he won't be balling on a budget.
