Giants cast wide net to fish for free agents
New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese speaks during a news conference on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Think of it as NFL Tinder. And the Giants are in “swipe right” mode.
The legal tampering period prior to the start of free agency Wednesday began Monday afternoon, and the Giants were quick to express interest in a number of players at a number of positions. They are expected to be among the more active participants in the market this season — a rarity for the organization — with a bloated budget to spend under the salary cap, a roster in need of improvements, and a desire to end the slog of three straight losing seasons.
So once they actually were able to reach out to the agents of potential targets, they did. A lot of them.
Among the players the Giants were talking about in the first hours, according to various sources and reports, were: safeties George Iloka of the Bengals and Robert Blanton of the Vikings; offensive linemen Mike Harris of the Vikings and Mitchell Schwartz of the Browns; cornerback Patrick Robinson of the Chargers and defensive end Adrian Clayborn of the Falcons.
The Giants also completed a visit with free-agent defensive end Charles Johnson, released by the Panthers last week, and do not appear to be dissuaded by the reported asking price of $10 million per year by defensive end Mario Williams, with whom they are still finishing details for a visit this week.
Finding a pass rusher or two may be the biggest priority for the Giants, especially if they are unable to re-sign Jason Pierre-Paul or Robert Ayers Jr. The Cardinals have expressed interest in JPP as they look to build up their defensive line, and other teams are likely to join the mix.
None of this means the Giants will be able to land any of these players come Wednesday, when teams finally can speak and meet directly with players and deals can be signed officially. Last year, remember, the Giants were hot for safety Devin McCourty before he wound up re-signing with the Patriots. The Giants were left with a hole at that position that lingered the rest of the season.
The Giants also are not the only team with a vast amount of money under the cap, and they are certainly not the only team whose roster can use some significant upgrades. Competition for the top-rung free agents will be fierce.
For now, all the Giants can do is let them know they are interested. And hope they eventually swipe back.
Cruz pay cut coming. The Giants and Victor Cruz have begun negotiating a pay cut for the 2016 season, one to which the wide receiver seems to be amenable. Cruz has said he is not concerned about his salary after missing almost two full years with knee and calf injuries. “I don’t care about that stuff,” he said last month. “I just want to play.”
Cruz, who will turn 30 Nov. 11, is due to make $7.9 million in 2016 with a cap hit of $9.9 million under his current contract. If, for some reason, an agreement is unable to be reached, the Giants could release Cruz. But that is unlikely.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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