The New York Giants are under new management this year, as they cleaned house in the organization. David Gettleman and Joe Judge are both out as general manager and head coach of the team.
Taking their place is Buffalo Bills duo Joe Schoen in the front office and Brian Daboll as head coach. There is some optimism with those hirings. Seeing how well the Bills have done in recent seasons, people are hopeful the same can occur with the Giants.
One of the first things that Schoen plans to do is clear at least $40 million of salary. It will require some difficult decisions to be made when it comes to veteran players, but it is a good goal to set. This roster needs a lot of work, but to make any major changes, the salary cap situation needs to be cleaned up first.
Saquon Barkley, Blake Martinez, Sterling Shepard and James Bradberry are some of the bigger names and better players on the roster that could be cap casualties this offseason. But, the organization will still do whatever it can to field a competitive team in 2022.
Over at Bleacher Report, a piece was put together of an ideal offseason trade scenario for each team in the NFL. For the Giants, their ideal trade target is Green Bay Packers linebacker Za’Darius Smith.
The Packers are facing salary cap issues themselves, which could lead to some big changes on the roster. Smith is one of the more prominent players that could be a salary-cap casualty, and if that is the case, the Giants should take advantage.
Smith has experience playing under the new Giants’ defensive coordinator Wink Martindale from their time with the Baltimore Ravens. Smith recorded 8.5 sacks in his last season under Martindale and the Giants could hope he brings a similar impact to their defense.
He spent almost the entire 2021 season on injured reserve but was able to get back on the field for the Packers’ playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. Smith showed he can still get the job done, as he recorded one sack in only 19 snaps.
New York could certainly use some pass-rushing help this offseason. Azeez Ojulari had a great rookie season, registering eight sacks. Leonard Williams added 6.5 as well, but the team could certainly use more juice getting after the quarterback.
If the Packers are looking to slash salary, the price likely won’t be too high to obtain Smith. Green Bay would rather take a late-round pick than cut him without receiving any compensation in return. With some extra draft capital, the Giants should take advantage of adding a potential impact player at a discounted price.
