The New York Giants posted a very disappointing 4-13 record in 2025, but it was actually not a bad season. Jaxson Dart proved he was the guy, and they were bad enough that they finally fired Brian Daboll and brought in the best coach available in John Harbaugh. Things are certainly looking up for the Giants, who are now just a year or two away from fighting for a playoff spot.

There’s still a lot of work to be done to this roster, but they have a solid foundation in place. If they play their cards right, they could be back in the playoffs as soon as this year.

If I were the Giants’ GM, here’s how I would attack the offseason.

Roster Management

The Giants enter the offseason with $10 million in cap space, but they can quickly grow that number north of $100 million with some cuts and restructures.

Starting with the cuts, I got rid of three offensive linemen that played pretty significant snap counts in 2025. OG John Runyan, C John Michael-Schmitz and OT James Hudson are all gone, saving me $18.2 million in cap space. I also cut RB Devin Singletary and WR Jalin Hyatt, saving another $6.5 million.

Moving to defense, I only cut two players: LB Chris Board and DL Roy Robertson-Harris, who saved a combined $6 million. Add K Graham Gano to that list, and I created $35.2 million, bringing my total to $45.2 million before restructures.

This is where the big money comes from. I restructured DE Brian Burns, OT Andrew Thomas, DT Dexter Lawrence, CB Paulson Adebo and S Jevon Holland’s contracts to create another $56.6 million, bringing my total to $101.8 million.

But that wasn’t the last move I made that cleared cap space…

Free Agency and Trades

It’s no secret that the Giants are shopping former first round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, so I went ahead and traded him to the Baltimore Ravens for their fourth round pick (No. 115). Nobody knows exactly what they’ll get in return, but since it’s a move to creat cap space, it probably won’t be what fans are hoping for. This move cleared another $14.8 million in cap, giving me over $116 million to work with in free agency.

Before I got to spending big, I had to bring back a lot of players to fill out the depth chart. CB Nic Jones, CB Art Green, S Dane Belton, DE Caleb Murphy, DT DJ Davidson, WR Isaiah Hodgins and LB Micah McFadden are all returning on one or two-year deals that total $21.5 million in 2026.

I did bring back one of the Giants’ key free agents. WR Wan’Dale Robinson built a really strong connection with Jaxson Dart last year, and even though I had to pay him $17.5 million per year (backloaded so it cost $13 million this season) to get him back, I felt like it was worth it to keep the 25 year old slot receiver around.

Now, with a little over $77 million to spend, it was time to make some big additions.

My first free agent signings came along the offensive line. I wanted C Tyler Linderbaum, but he was too expensive, so I settled for C Connor McGovern, who hasn’t allowed a sack in two years. He cost me $17 million per year over three years, but it was backloaded to cost $15 this year. I also brought in my favorite guard in the free agent class, David Edwards, on a three-year deal worth $20 million annually.

I also brought in a pair of playmakers in RB Travis Etienne and WR Kendrick Bourne. Cam Skattebo played well last year, but New York needs an back that can catch passes out of the backfield. Plus, Skattebo’s running style is going to lead to some injuries, as we saw last year. Bourne comes in to be the WR3 and give Dart another reliable weapons out wide.

Defensively, I made two big additions at corner, signing Tariq Woolen to a one-year, $10 million prove it deal. He’s 6-foot-4 with 4.26 speed, and can certainly help this secondary. I also brought in Josh Jobe after his breakout season on a three-year deal worth $10 million per year. These two will completely transform this secondary.

Finally, I added LB Quay Walker and S Andre Cisco. The Giants really needed some help at linebacker, and Cisco can provide some depth at the safety position. In total, they cost me $12 million in 2026.

NFL Draft

With the fifth overall pick, I drafted one of the most athletic players in this draft class in Sonny Styles. Off-ball linebacker isn’t usually a premium position, but this draft doesn’t have many great players at those positions, so I went with the best player that can make an impact on this defense.

In round two I made a trade, sending pick 143, a 2027 second and 2027 fifth to Arizona for the 34th overall pick in the draft, which I used to select OT Max Iheanachor, who will immediately take over as the starting right tackle.

Then, with the 37th pick, I selected TE Eli Stowers, who will instantly become a weapon for Jaxson Dart. With the receiving core I’ve assembled and Stowers, Dart will have plenty of options when he drops back to throw.

With my two fourth round picks, I selected WR De’Zhaun Stribling and DT Kaleb Proctor. Stribling is big, and can fly, and comes with a ton of upside. Proctor comes from a small school, but he was super productive in college and can provide depth behind Dexter Lawrence.

Finally, with my trio of sixth round picks, I added depth with S Cole Wisniewski, CB Tacario Davis and RB Eli Heidenreich, all of whom I believe come with a lot of upside.

Starting Lineup

Here’s what the Giants’ starting lineup would look like with the changes I made.

Offense

QB: Jaxson Dart

RB: Travis Etienne, Cam Skattebo

WR: Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, De’Zhaun Stribling/Kendrick Bourne

TE: Eli Stowers

OL: Andrew Thomas, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, Greg Van Rosen, Max Iheanachor

I love this offense. Jaxson Dart has proven he can be the guy for the Giants, and now he has weapons all over the field. The run game will be much improved with the Etienne/Skattebo duo, and the passing game should only get better with Malik Nabers back, the two receivers I brought in and Eli Stowers taking over as TE1. Plus, I feel a lot better about this offensive line now.

Defense

DL: Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches

LB: Sonny Styles, Quay Walker, Micah McFadden

CB: Tariq Woolen, Josh Jobe, Paulson Adebo

S: Jevon Holland, Tyler Nubin

Defensively, I would’ve liked to have added another defensive tackle, but I’m a big fan of the additions I made at linebacker and cornerback. The secondary should be 10x better than it was last season, and Sonny Styles can instantly be one of the best linebackers in the league and take over Bobby Okereke’s role.

I think this is a playoff roster. If Dart doesn’t fall into a sophomore slump, this team could not only make the postseason, but probably win a game or two.