When looking at the work done by New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen in free agency, most observers would likely say that, at least on paper, he did a decent job at bolstering a few areas or retaining talent on the roster.
ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak is not one of those observers. In his recently released free agency class rankings for all 32 teams, Solak thinks Schoen failed in one key area of his job, which resulted in the Giants ranking 24th.
Solak’s top issue with the Giants' free-agency haul was the contracts Schoen handed out.
According to Over the Cap, the Giants have spent $216.725 million on free-agency deals, fourth most behind the Patriots, Vikings, and Seahawks. The Giants' $137.790 million in total guarantees paid puts them third, just ahead of the Seahawks.
In terms of APY, the Giants’ spending is reasonable at $4.758 million, which is 15th in the league.
Regardless, Solak opined that the Giants’ free-agent acquisitions were overcompensated, which was his biggest criticism of what the Giants did.
Solak cited several specific contracts, starting with cornerback Paulson Adebo, whom he thought would get a one-year “prove it” deal after missing a large part of last season with a broken leg.
“Instead,” Solak said, “(Adebo) got as much money as Byron Murphy Jr. (Vikings) and Charvarius Ward (Colts) got on their deals and more than D.J. Reed (Vikings) got on his."
Receiver Darius Slayton’s 3-year, $36 million deal also drew criticism from Solak, who said he was surprised the Giants spent that money despite Slayton’s role not being increased each season.
And while the deals signed by defensive lineman Chauncey Golston and offensive lineman James Hudson III were tolerable in Solak’s opinion, he added, “If either player is seeing substantial snaps in 2025, that's bad news for the state of the roster.”
Solak concluded his criticism by praising the Giants for getting quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston on cap-friendly deals and for getting decent value on the Jevon Holland contract.
But overall, he thinks the Giants “overpaid for the impact they'll likely receive.”
To say that the Giants, a team that had gotten used to being cap-strapped and unable to recruit talent, completely overpaid during the recent free-agent window is something not too many fans might want to hear.
Last offseason, fans were left to watch the team practically sit on its hands as notable free agents signed anywhere but East Rutherford, including two of their former successful draft picks, Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney.
Part of that was due to Schoen's decisions and beliefs about building the roster, but one couldn’t deny that cap circumstances were another half of the issue.
So when the Giants began this offseason with around $45 million in cap space following another increase in the annual total thanks to ballooning media and television rights money, Schoen showed a willingness to spend responsibly–and for proof of that, look no further than the discipline he showed in not going crazy on the free-agent guard market.
Schoen had many priorities that needed to be filled. The first was the defensive secondary, which was almost embarrassing to watch last season. At the forefront was securing a CB1 type player in lieu of one of Deonte Banks or Cor’Dale Flott, who haven’t fit up to speed in that role.
Adebo might not have been the top option on the board, but his impact on late downs earned him the extra cash.
The Giants might have paid slightly over the projected market value for the ex-Saint, but the 25-year-old is young enough to ditch the post-injury concerns.
Over the last two seasons, he has ranked in the top three cornerbacks in the NFL in pass deflections, which have also turned into seven interceptions (the Giants had five combined last season).
Adebo has also outperformed the other top corners in several key metrics tracked by Spotrac, including tackles per game (4.68), interceptions per game (0.32), and overall coverage rating (71.0).
The Giants needed that veteran experience in their secondary after a couple of years of throwing the youth into the fire, which hasn’t worked and left the team as the 25th-worst coverage unit in the league.
Slayton’s return was truly a surprise, given how he seemed tired of losing and gave off vibes of wanting a fresh start at the end of last year. But Slayton, who, along with Dexter Lawrence II, is the longest-tenured member of the roster, was reassured of the team’s plans to build a roster and decided to stick with what he knows.
Slayton brings a mix of composure and leadership under pressure, which no team can price tag. The Giants have learned this lesson, as they have bled leadership out of their locker room.
His vertical ability to stretch the field allows the entire offense to thrive. He will pair nicely with new starter Russell Wilson, who likes to unleash a deep ball along the sidelines.
Slayton had an off year by his standards in 2024, but he still managed to get over 70 targets for the fifth time in his career and averaged 14.7 yards per catch, which led the Giants' offense. He’ll bring good value as he eyes his fourth 700+ yard campaign.
When quarterback contracts are as cheap as they are, they free up the ability to spend more on weapons and blocking reinforcements so that he stays alive in the pocket.
Schoen did with offensive linemen Hudson III and Stone Forsythe, who offer experience at offensive tackle despite their blemishes. This problem was exposed last year when injuries started popping up.
Of course, the tale of the tape on these new additions won’t matter if the results don’t appear on the field this season.
As far as his means can stretch, Schoen and the Giants' front office have not neglected the critical holes and have done better to address them this offseason after what was a public disaster for the organization that is still talked about twelve months later.
Rank them toward the bottom third of the league until they prove it, but the Giants didn’t drop top dollars on roster pieces worth pennies in return.
