What do you think of these choices?
The New York Giants, mired at the bottom of an ever-improving NFC East, need a talent infusion. General manager Joe Schoen has promised no ‘Hail Mary’s,’ but does need to have an aggressive, productive offseason.
This is the time of year when everybody does lists of ‘best free agents,’ ‘best draftable players at position X’ and the like. We discuss many of them because they portray scenarios that could be in play for the Giants.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen this week took the worldwide leader’s list of the top 50 free agents available next month and chose the best team fit for each player. Bowen pegs the Giants as the best fit for three of those top 50 players.
Let’s discuss Bowen’s choices.
Jevon Holland, S
Holland, who will be 25 next season, was a second-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2021. He is ranked No. 12 on ESPN’s top 50 list. Bowen writes:
A year after allowing Xavier McKinney to sign with the Packers in free agency, the Giants could try to grab the best safety on the 2025 market in Holland. He has the multidimensional traits to impact all three levels of the field for a Giants defense that needs a difference-maker at safety. New York had five interceptions last season, fewer than all but one other team (Browns). In four pro seasons with the Dolphins, Holland has five interceptions, 16 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and five sacks.
Valentine’s View: Bowen is not wrong that the Giants need more play-making from their secondary. The lack of interceptions from that group in 2024 was glaring. I do think Bowen is wrong if he expects Schoen to play at the high end of the free agent safety market.
Schoen is a believer in positional value. There was no chance he was going to compete for McKinney last season, especially not at a four-year, $67.5 million price tag that made him one of the game’s five highest-paid safeties.
Holland’s projected market value, per Spotrac, is four years, $60.2 million ($15.1 million annually). It would be a stunning reversal for Schoen to pay that kind of money for a free agent safety when he wouldn’t give it to a good young one who was already in his building.
Teven Jenkins, G
Jenkins is ranked No. 41 on the ESPN list. Bowen writes:
The Giants could fill their right guard vacancy with Jenkins, a 2021 second-round pick for Chicago. Drafted as a tackle, Jenkins has had multiple injuries in his career, as he has played in only 38 of a possible 68 career games. However, he has the tools to drive defenders off the ball in the run game and he had a pass block win rate of 92.0% last season. He’d boost a poor OL in New York.
Valentine’s View: Spotrac estimates the 27-year-old Jenkins’ market value to be three years, $31 million ($10.3 million annually). Throw in a void year or two to knock the cap hit down, and I would do this deal all day every day.
Jenkins was a third-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2021, and has been a full-time starter the past three seasons. He has significant experience at both guard spots, as does Jon Runyan Jr. The Giants could align them as they see see fit.
Jenkins, to me, is the kind of young-ish, quality offensive lineman in his prime the Giants need to be willing to spend money on.
Russell Wilson, QB
Here we go again. We discussed Wilson at length on Tuesday. ESPN ranks the 37-year-old grizzled veteran quarterback as its No. 42 free agent. Bowen is the latest to connect the dots from Wilson to the Giants. He writes:
Sitting at No. 3 in the draft order, the Giants are in the mix to land a quarterback with their first-round pick this spring. But adding Wilson would give them some security heading into the draft. In 11 starts for the Steelers, Wilson completed 63.7% of his throws for 2,482 yards and 16 touchdowns. Because of his diminished mobility, Wilson isn’t a natural creator at this stage. But Giants coach Brian Daboll can scheme for Wilson, using a play-action-heavy approach and setting him up on vertical throws.
Valentine’s View: I will say the same thing I said on Tuesday:
“If Wilson were willing to accept that there would likely be a young quarterback, whether that is Ward, Sanders, or someone drafted later, nipping at his heels, I think the Giants could live with this. They might have to.”