The New York Giants are entering a crucial offseason. Daunting tasks lie ahead as they search for their next franchise quarterback while also attempting to build a more competitive team for the 2025 season.
There are many different paths the Giants could take to rebuild their roster. In this article, I will be doing a comprehensive breakdown of the New York Giants, their offseason assets, and what I would do to rebuild the team if I were the general manager. Included in this breakdown are a mock free agency period and a full seven-round mock draft.
Giants 2025 offseason assets
General manager Joe Schoen has plenty of assets at his disposal as he enters a critical offseason. The Giants are cap healthy and have a bounty of draft capital, but they also have a lot of needs to address coming off a 3-14 finish in 2024 and entering a 2025 season with jobs on the line.
Projected Cap Space (Over The Cap):
- $47,847,069,
- Effective Cap Space: $38,209,449
- Effective Cap Space: the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster.
The Giants have a decent sum of money to spend this offseason, however, it will dry up pretty quickly if they don’t make any adjustments. Thankfully, they have some moves that they can make to create even more space. They could restructure the contracts of LT Andrew Thomas, EDGE Brian Burns, and DT Dexter Lawrence to create nearly $40 million in additional cap space. So, if the Giants want to be big spenders this offseason, they have the ability.
Biggest Needs To Address:
- Tier 1: Quarterback, Cornerback
- Tier 2: Offensive Line, Defensive Line
- Tier 3: Wide Receiver, Safety
First and foremost, the Giants need to address the quarterback position. Even if they plan on selecting one early in April’s NFL Draft, they need a proven veteran who can reliably win games and make an immediate impact in Week 1. A rookie oftentimes comes with growing pains, which the Giants can’t afford to suffer through this season.
Cornerback is a glaring need on the defensive side of the ball after 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks took a step back last season. The Giants need a veteran, a more proven commodity in what is an otherwise youthful and inexperienced secondary.
The trenches will be a point of emphasis for Schoen on both sides of the ball. The Giants’ offensive line dealt with a slew of injuries last season, so upgrading both the starting five and the unit’s depth will be essential. The defensive line lacks a clear starter on the interior alongside Dexter Lawrence, which caused the team’s run defense to suffer in 2024.
The skill positions could still use some improvement as well. Veteran WR Darius Slayton will be a free agent this offseason and very well could leave for greener pastures. The Giants wouldn’t mind an upgrade at WR2 anyway. At safety, it’s a similar story with Jason Pinnock set to be a free agent. Big Blue needs another veteran to pair with 2024 second-round pick Tyler Nubin.
2025 Draft Capital:
- Round 1: No. 3 overall
- Round 2: No. 34 overall
- Round 3: No. 65 overall
- Round 4: No. 103 overall
- Round 4: No. 134 overall (projected compensation pick)
- Round 5: No. 155 overall (via Seattle)
- Round 7: No. 221 overall
- Round 7: No. 248 overall
The Giants have eight picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving them plenty of capital to utilize this offseason. Schoen has made a blockbuster trade at the start of free agency two offseasons in a row (for TE Darren Waller in 2023 and for EDGE Brian Burns in 2024). He has more than enough capital to get another splashy deal done again this offseason, whether that be in a potential draft trade-up or to acquire a veteran star around the league.
Giants Free Agency Projection
In this article, I will be doing a “what I would do” projection, making the moves for the Giants that I believe are best for the team based on countless hours of research. For more of a predictive look at the offseason, click HERE.
To start the offseason and give myself more room to operate, I would restructure Brian Burns’s contract. This move frees up $16,185,000 for the Giants in cap space. I would also extend LB Micah McFadden on a four-year contract worth about $8 million per season. Extending the 25-year-old McFadden frees $1,844,800 in 2025 cap space. After making these two moves, the Giants now have $64,032,069 in available 2025 cap space ($56,239,249 effective).
Big Splash Free Agency Moves:
The first move the Giants need to make is to bring in a quarterback. There are plenty of options available to consider, but the Giants need a veteran signal-caller who can stabilize the position. There are some less proven, more high-ceiling options, but the goal for the Giants in free agency needs to be elevating their floor at the quarterback position.
The top experienced veterans on the market are New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson. With the former, the Giants would be signing a 41-year-old with plenty of baggage and unwanted media attention. That’s why I’ll take the latter in Wilson — a 36-year-old future Hall of Famer who took a bad Pittsburgh offense to the playoffs in 2024.
Wilson isn’t the player he once was, but he still throws a pretty deep ball and has the leadership qualities and command of an offense that Brian Daboll needs. Wilson could serve as a bridge to a rookie quarterback but also has the capabilities of leading a team to wins in a season where Daboll and Schoen desperately need them.
Signing: QB Russell Wilson — One-year, $30,000,000 (2025 Cap Hit: $25,000,000)
Now that the quarterback position has been upgraded, it’s time to turn the attention to the defense. The cornerback market is filled with talent this offseason, giving the Giants several intriguing options to consider.
The top players on the free agency market will include New York Jets CB D.J. Reed, San Francisco 49ers CB Charvarius Ward, and Minnesota Vikings CB Byron Murphy Jr. All three are options the Giants will consider and any of them would be a major upgrade over what New York has now. There is also the trade market to consider.
This is where I think Schoen could make his first big trade of the offseason (and not his last). One of the top names on the market is Green Bay Packers CB Jaire Alexander. While it’s not the direction I would go, I think it’s a path that fits Schoen’s style — trading a mid-round pick for a solid veteran player when his value is at its lowest point.
Instead, I would target a veteran free agent who I do not have to sacrifice additional draft capital to acquire and who has a cleaner bill of health. New York Jets veteran CB D.J. Reed is my top target as he has consistently stayed healthy over the last four years and has been praised for his mentorship ability. Jets CB Sauce Gardner credits Reed with his maturation. Signing Reed would give the Giants a reliable CB1 and an experienced player who could help Banks come into his own.
Signing: CB D.J. Reed — Three-year, $50,000,000 (2025 Cap Hit: $12,000,000)
Upgrading The Trenches
In the second wave of free agency, there should be some intriguing pieces to target in the trenches. The Chicago Bears just double-upgraded at guard, trading for Jonah Jackson from the Los Angeles Rams, then trading for Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs. That makes Bears OG Teven Jenkins likely to walk in free agency.
Indianapolis Colts RG Will Fries is a player that might excite the Giants, however, he might reach out of their price range. Detroit Lions veteran Kevin Zeitler could be intriguing, too, but at 35 years old, he wouldn’t be much of a long-term solution.
There will be other guards for the Giants to consider, though, that market will be thin. Jenkins makes sense as a younger player (27 years old) with positional versatility. He has experience playing both left and right guard. The Giants could sign Jenkins, then decide to plug him or Jon Runyan Jr. (another player with positional flexibility) on either side of the line — whichever each player is more comfortable with.
Signing: OG Teven Jenkins — Three-year, $40,000,000 (2025 Cap Hit: $10,000,000)
After spending big at quarterback, cornerback, and right guard, there is not a ton of room left in the budget to address the defensive line. However, there are some intriguing low-cost options on the market, like Poona Ford and Teair Tart of the Los Angeles Chargers, Calais Campbell of the Miami Dolphins, and Jarran Reed of the Seattle Seahawks.
Of those options, I think Reed makes the most sense for the Giants. He is 32 years old and offers above-average pass-rushing capabilities from the interior. Adding him next to Dexter Lawrence would be a handful for opposing offensive guard tandems. Plus, he is a decent run defender, too. Although not the ideal splash singing at defensive tackle, Reed could be a quality upgrade in the short-term.
Thankfully the 2025 NFL Draft class runs deep in the trenches, which should afford the Giants an opportunity to add another impact player on the defensive interior — but more on that in a bit.
Signing: DT Jarran Reed — One-year, $6,000,000 (2025 Cap Hit: $5,000,000)
One last player that I think the Giants could target in the trenches is Baltimore Ravens OL Patrick Mekari. They not only need a starting right guard but they also desperately need depth on an offensive line that was decimated with injuries in 2024. Mekari has played a meaningful amount of snaps at every position on the offensive line. He could be a valuable utility piece for them as a backup who fills in at any position whenever he is needed. He shouldn’t break the bank, either.
Signing: OL Patrick Mekari — One-year, $7,000,000 (2025 Cap Hit: $5,000,000)
Where do we stand on cap space now?
Bringing in a haul of Wilson, D.J. Reed, Jenkins, Jarran Reed, and Mekari would be tremendous, but also costly. With the projected contracts, those five signings cost $57,000,000 in 2025 cap space, bringing the Giants’ total cap space down to just about $7,000,000 as we enter the second wave of free agency.
We’re going to need to make some more space for a couple of last-minute signings. That’s where I would restructure the deal of LT Andrew Thomas, freeing up an additional $12,584,000 in cap space, pushing the total available space to about $20,000,000 ($12,207,180 effective). That effective cap space, however, would not be enough to sign the draft class, so we need to make one last move: restructuring the contract of DT Dexter Lawrence to free up an additional $9,886,667 in cap space. Now the Giants have $22,093,847 in effective cap space to utilize.
Restructuring contracts is tricky. It does free up immediate cap space, however, it also increases future cap hits. Normally I’d caution against max restructuring three major contracts, however, the Giants are very cap healthy and have a ton of space available in the future (a projected $121,678,181 in 2026 and $169,367,867 in 2027). They can afford to tap into that future cap space, though it might not be ideal. A lot of these signings were short-term, low-cost deals, too, so the long-term effects of these deals and restructures will not have too significant of an impact on the Giants’ future.
Low-Cost Skill Position Upgrades
Another position we need to address is safety with veteran Jason Pinnock set to be an unrestricted free agent. Indianapolis Colts S Julian Blackmon feels like an upgrade at a low cost. At 26 years old, Blackmon is still ascending. He has range on the back end and experience playing as a deep safety. Tyler Nubin excelled down in the box as a rookie in 2024, so signing Blackmon would allow him to play that role even more.
Signing: S Julian Blackmon — Three-year, $20,000,000 (2025 Cap Hit: $3,500,000)
Ideally, the Giants would bring in a more premier talent at wide receiver. However, this is a thin wide receiver market in free agency and we had some greater needs to address, which obviously depleted the funds.
Veteran WR Mike Williams is still a solid option as a fringe WR3. This being the wide receiver signing might place a bit of pressure on Jalin Hyatt to step up, which is not ideal. However, Williams demonstrated that he still has the ability to be a decent deep threat during the 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Williams and Wilson seemed to develop a decent connection during their limited shared time in Pittsburgh. Now they get to keep growing that chemistry in New York. He might not be the flashiest upgrade, but Williams adds depth to a wide receiver corps that desperately needs it.
Signing: WR Mike Williams — One-year, $6,000,000 (2025 Cap hit: 4,000,000)
The Giants’ Remaining Cap Space
After factoring in the additional signings of Blackmon and Williams, the Giants have about $14,500,000 entering the NFL Draft portion of this simulation. That might not be enough to fit in the entirety of the 2025 NFL Draft class, but any further salary cap adjustments could be made after the draft concludes.
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2025 NFL Draft Projection
The Giants currently hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but that could soon change. New York has expressed interest in trading up for the No. 1 overall pick and has reportedly reached out to the Tennessee Titans to see if they were interested in trading down.
Giants trade up for No. 1 overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft
That’s how this mock draft is going to get kicked off — I’m moving up to go get my quarterback. Sure, Russell Wilson can do the job just fine for a year or two if we need. However, thinking long-term, the goal is to get a legitimate franchise quarterback who could lead this team into a brighter future. Pairing a rookie with Wilson would give the Giants plenty of time to let their rookie develop and grow behind the scenes while learning from a future Hall of Famer. Let’s make it happen.
Trade Details:
- Giants receive: No. 1 Overall Pick
- Titans receive: No. 3 Overall Pick, No. 65 Overall Pick (3rd Round), Giants’ 2026 2nd-Round Pick
Trading up for the top selection should not cost as much this year as it has in years past. Most insiders, including Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Art Stapleton of North Jersey, and Connor Hughes of SNY, believe it would only cost the Giants a pair of Day 2 selections, i.e. two third-round picks or one third-round pick and one second-round pick or, less likely, two second-round picks.
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Full 7-Round New York Giants 2025 Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick No. 1 Overall: Miami QB Cam Ward
With the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Miami QB Cam Ward. If the Giants are going to make a move like this, it’s going to be for the best quarterback in the draft class, and that is Ward.
I have personally had a draft crush on Ward for over a year now. I touted him as the 2024 NFL Draft class’s “Mid-Round Gem” after he initially declared last year out of Washington State. Ultimately, he undeclared, and decided to transfer to Miami for one last season of college ball where he established himself as the best signal-caller in the country.
Ward is a risk taker and he is far from a finished product. But the Giants don’t need a polished rookie quarterback if they sign the right veteran (in this case Russell Wilson). Take Ward, let him sit and develop, then plug him in once he’s ready.
Round 2, Pick No. 35 Overall: Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams
The Giants need some size on the interior and Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams fits the billing. He’s a beefy, 6-foot-3, 334-pound defensive lineman who excels against the run. A stout run defender with size and surprising athleticism has drawn Williams comparisons to Detroit Lions DT Alim McNeill. The Giants could use a player like that.
Round 4, Pick No. 104 Overall: Kansas CB Cobee Bryant
The Giants met with Kansas CB Cobee Bryant during the NFL Scouting Combine. He might not be the best athlete (4.53s 40-yard dash), but Bryant is an instinctual player with good ball skills (13 interceptions and 22 pass defenses in four seasons), a feel for zone coverage, and a fiery competitive nature. He fits a similar mold to that of 2024 third-round pick Dru Phillips. Bryant has the size to play on the outside at 6-foot, 180 pounds and could be a solid developmental pick.
Round 4, Pick No. 134 Overall: UNC OL Willie Lampkin
Adding depth to the offensive line will remain a priority. UNC OL Willie Lampkin is an interesting player. On one hand, he has outstanding film, with Lance Zierlein of NFL.com saying Lampkin has the “best run blocking tape of any OL this season.” But on the other hand, Lampkin is incredibly undersized (5-foot-10, 270 pounds, but with impressive 32-inch arms) and could be moved to center or even fullback at the next level.
The Giants could take a chance on Lampkin, though, hoping his tape translates and testing him out at guard initially. If he fails and his size becomes a problem, then move him elsewhere and see if he can become quality depth.
Round 5, Pick No. 155 Overall: Georgia RB Trevor Etienne
This draft class is loaded with running back talent. Although the Giants just drafted RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round last year (and seem to have hit on that pick), that shouldn’t stop them from adding more talent to an offense that ranked 31st in points per game last season. Georgia RB Trevor Etienne is rapid (4.42s 40-yard dash), young (21 years old), and explosive (10-foot-4-inch broad jump). He could be a dynamic player at the next level that would pair nicely with Tracy.
Round 7, Pick No. 221 Overall: Alabama S Malachi Moore
Alabama S Malachi Moore is an interesting prospect as a rangy ballhawk safety from a big school who isn’t projected to go early in the draft. He aligned in several different positions for the Crimson Tide and could add versatility to the Giants’ secondary and special teams as a late-round selection.
Round 7, Pick No. 248 Overall: Georgia LB Smael Mondon
The Giants usually like to take linebackers on Day 3 because of their upside as potential contributors on special teams. That’s the logic here with Georgia LB Smael Mondon. He’s physical but athletic, making him a nice developmental piece on the defensive side of the ball but giving him the profile to contribute early on special teams.
Final Draft Results:
Other than the move up to the first-overall pick for Ward, the Giants stick and pick in this simulation, making seven selections:
- Round 1, Pick No. 1 Overall: Miami QB Cam Ward
- Round 2, Pick No. 35 Overall: Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams
- Round 4, Pick No. 104 Overall: Kansas CB Cobee Bryant
- Round 4, Pick No. 134 Overall: UNC OL Willie Lampkin
- Round 5, Pick No. 155 Overall: Georgia RB Trevor Etienne
- Round 7, Pick No. 221 Overall: Alabama S Malachi Moore
- Round 7, Pick No. 248 Overall: Georgia LB Smael Mondon
This draft class makes the Giants better immediately and in the long run. They add a franchise quarterback for the future while adding depth and potentially starting-level talent at defensive tackle, cornerback, running back, and on the offensive line. This class would be a haul for Big Blue as they aim to become a better football team from top to bottom.
Full New York Giants Offseason Blueprint:
Free Agency Haul:
- QB Russell Wilson
- CB D.J. Reed
- OG Teven Jenkins
- DT Jarran Reed
- OL Patrick Mekari
- S Julian Blackmon
- WR Mike Williams
NFL Draft Class:
- QB Cam Ward
- DT Tyleik Williams
- CB Cobee Bryant
- OL Willie Lampkin
- RB Trevor Etienne
- S Malachi Moore
- LB Smael Mondon
Rebuilding the Giants is no easy task, and I do not envy those actually in charge of the team (well, maybe I do a little bit). It’s also worth noting that there is no one definitive way to slice an apple. This might be my blueprint to rebuilding the Giants, but Schoen’s might look drastically different. That doesn’t mean I’m right and he’s wrong or vice versa. If NFL teams had cracked the foolproof code on how to build a contender, then we wouldn’t be watching teams like the Giants and the Jets suffer in misery for a decade plus.
This was a fun exercise and I hope you all enjoyed going through my New York Giants 2025 Offseason Blueprint with me. For a video breakdown and explanation of this blueprint, plus my co-host Alex Wilson’s own blueprint (which looks much different from mine), stay tuned to Fireside Giants!