New York Giants

The Giants carry $28.3M in dead cap and only $1.3M in rollover but a clear cap horizon opens at $53.8M next offseason, giving this rebuild a defined financial runway.

27 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Four starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

The Giants hold five picks this cycle including three first-rounders, and 19 picks across three years, giving this rebuild a meaningful resource base despite forfeiting their fourth and seventh-round picks to Cleveland and Miami this season.

• Traded away: Round 4 to Browns, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Dolphins, this draft

The roster's clear top strength is its defensive front and edge combination anchored by Andrew Thomas and the pass-rush duo of Burns and Carter, while the team's weakest spot is strong safety, where the starter ranks 27th in the league.

• SShigh

  Tyler Nubin starts at strong safety but the position ranks 27th in starter quality league-wide, making it the single biggest roster hole on the team.

• Cmedium

  John Michael Schmitz Jr. holds the starting center job but his 72 overall puts the position 22nd among starters, and the depth behind him is thin at 24th in the league.

• CBmedium

  Dru Phillips, Greg Newsome II, and Deonte Banks give the Giants bodies at cornerback, but the starter group ranks 26th league-wide, leaving the position as a meaningful vulnerability.

• LGlow

  Jon Runyan starts at left guard but grades out at 74 overall, ranking 21st at the position, and his cut candidacy makes upgrading here a near-term priority.

• QBlow

  Jaxson Dart takes the first snap on the depth chart at 78 overall, ranking 21st among starters, but the overall QB depth room is surprisingly strong, ranking 4th league-wide.

• TElow

  Isaiah Likely leads a tight end room that ranks second in the league in depth despite the starter grading 22nd, meaning the position needs a higher-end starter more than it needs bodies.

• 78Kayvon ThibodeauxLEDGEKayvon Thibodeaux sits as the second-string right edge behind Brian Burns and carries no dead money on release, making him a clean $14.8M savings that can immediately fund the team's more pressing needs.Frees $14.8M · $0 dead
• 76Paulson AdeboCBPaulson Adebo is the fourth cornerback on the depth chart and cutting him would cost $17.0M in dead cap against only $7.2M freed, making this a release that hurts more than it helps right now.Frees $7.2M · $17.0M dead
• 72Roy Robertson-HarrisDTRoy Robertson-Harris is buried at DT behind Reader, Shelby Harris, Chauncey Golston, and Darius Alexander, and releasing him frees $3.5M against only $2.3M in dead money for a net savings worth pursuing.Frees $3.5M · $2.3M dead
• 74Jon RunyanLGJon Runyan starts at left guard but ranks among the weaker starters at the position league-wide, and cutting him frees $9.0M against $2.8M in dead money, a net gain that helps address the guard need with a better option.Frees $9.0M · $2.8M dead
• 62Elijah CampbellFSElijah Campbell is the third free safety on the depth chart and is entering the late stage of his career, and releasing him frees $1.2M against only $180K in dead money, making him an easy roster cleanup.Frees $1.2M · $180.0K dead

The Giants enter this franchise window with a genuinely exciting defensive core headlined by Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese, two Superstar-trait prospects still in the early stages of their careers, flanking an established pass rusher in Brian Burns and an elite left tackle in Andrew Thomas. The offense, however, is in transition: Jaxson Dart takes over at quarterback with upside but unproven starting experience, and the line has real holes at guard and center. Malik Nabers gives Dart a true go-to receiver, and Cam Skattebo provides a physical running back complement. D.J. Reader is entering the late stage of his career and Jermaine Eluemunor, who anchors right tackle, will need a succession plan sooner rather than later. The $29.4M in current cap room offers some flexibility to address the strong safety and cornerback weaknesses, and the cap picture brightens considerably with $53.8M projected available next offseason. This is a roster with a high ceiling if the young core develops on schedule, but it requires active roster management to compete near the top of the conference within the next two to three seasons.

The New York Giants were founded in 1925 when Tim Mara purchased an NFL franchise for $500, making them one of five teams to join the league that year and the only survivor among them. Playing their early decades at the Polo Grounds, the Giants quickly became one of pro football's marquee franchises, winning their first NFL championship in 1927 behind a dominant defense. Under longtime coach Steve Owen, they added titles in 1934 (the famous "Sneakers Game" over the Bears on an icy field) and 1938. The Giants moved to Yankee Stadium in 1956 and won the NFL championship that year with a Hall of Fame-laden roster (Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, Roosevelt Brown) and assistants Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry. From 1958 to 1963 they reached five NFL Championship Games but lost each, including the 1958 "Greatest Game Ever Played" against the Colts, followed by a drought with no playoff appearances between 1963 and 1981. Modern glory arrived under coach Bill Parcells and defensive superstar Lawrence Taylor: the 1986 team went 14-2 and won Super Bowl XXI, and the 1990 squad captured Super Bowl XXV over Buffalo. Under Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants pulled off two of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history, beating the previously undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII (2007 season) and again in Super Bowl XLVI (2011 season). Since 2011, the Giants have endured a difficult stretch, only two playoff berths (2016, 2022) and repeated coaching changes, setting the stage for the Harbaugh era. In all, the franchise owns eight NFL championships: four pre-Super Bowl (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and four Super Bowls (XXI, XXV, XLII, XLVI).