Golladay, Barkley trades to help Giants open a cork room

The New York Giants had to tighten their belts a lot in the off-season of 2022.

Their bills for adding free agencies in 2020 and 2021 had to be paid at the same time this year, and the giants suddenly ended up in Cap Hell. The good news is that the tying will only last a season before the contracts end, and the rising wage ceiling will give the Giants a lot of money by 2023 and beyond. But this year, things were undeniably tense, to the point where the team had to break up with good players to pay for their drift class.

And although the Giants are currently under pay, they don’t have much breathing space or a rainy day fund. Teams usually want a cap of at least $ 10 million next season – and preferably about $ 20 million. Although the rules for injured reserves have become less restrictive than a few years ago, replacing injured players can still be costly for teams. It is also useful for teams to have the opportunity to carry forward a portion of their year-end cap to next season.

The Giants currently have an upper limit of $ 6.22 million (OverTheCap), the fourth lowest amount on the NFL team. It will fluctuate when we reach the final list. Currently, the NFL considers only the top 51 contracts on the list, and it is also expected that some newcomers will take on the job of veterans and reduce the cost of that position. However, the final figure should be quite close to $ 6.2 million

Giants can make a few relatively simple movements to free up a moderate amount of cork space. WR Darius Slayton will release most of the cap that the Giants can create without affecting their future cap. That would release the $ 2.54 million cap and put $ 8.74 million on the Giants

It’s still not enough money to make the Giants completely comfortable, but it can be “good enough” for a relatively good season.

But what if Joe Schoen wants to give himself maximum flexibility to potentially add pieces when players are surprisingly cut after a training camp or when they hit a game. remarkable cash into 2023?

Ian Wharton, who writes for Bleacher Report, offered 32 deals to the NFL, four of which involved giants, and three of which could free up a significant amount of cash for Schoen.

Let’s start with his proposal about the giants themselves.

Giants can: HE Nick Boyle, 2023 Sixth Round Selection
Crows can: WR Kenny Golladay

The New York Giants are the only team that is not considered a play-off candidate among the five teams with the least free space. The Giants, which are stuck with several big contracts until next season, should deal with both long-term money abandonment and new talent. Since the giants can’t afford big acquisitions to suit their schedule, the best they can do is trade with Kenny Golladay.

In 2021, Golladay was unable to click on quarterback Daniel Jones as a free agent from Detroit. His 2020 hip injury may have remained until 2021, but the lack of chemistry and consistency was a cause for concern. He scored just 521 yards with 37 receptions.

Finding a new home for Golladay is complicated by the fact that his new team is expected to pay his $ 13 million base salary in 2022. Baltimore would need to restructure the money to make it work, but after the deal, it needs a gaming host receiver. Marquise Brown during the NFL draft. Golladay would put Lamar Jackson at risk with a reliable and big body who can beat with deep jumping balls better than anyone currently on the list.

Wharton is advising Giants to trade narrow-tipped Nick Boyle, which will have a cap of $ 4.4 million in 2022. While the Giants would certainly save money in this scenario and get a higher level in the narrow end, I would rather just choose if our goal in trading is to release the cap on Golladay.

Although, as Wharton points out, this may not be possible in the real world someone must pay Golladay’s basic salary. It may be necessary to take one third of this ceiling (in the form of the Boyle Agreement). This year, it would still earn Giants about $ 13.3 million.

Wharton is also proposing another potential deal involving giants and Golladay, and that could be a net pay cut.

The Chicago Bears trade with Kenny Golladay

Bears can: WR Kenny Golladay
Giants can: Selection of the sixth round of 2023

No team has more room to play in the 2023 and 2024 seasons than the Chicago Bears. This team is a mature turning point for a talented but expensive player who couldn’t do it anywhere else. The best marriage between suitability, team need and costly player is Kenny Golladay.

The conclusion of the New York Giants’ star free agent contract in the mid-season of 2021 saw great difficulties with the franchise in its first season. There were injuries in the attack and Golladay’s level of effort was questionable. The new regime could buy Golladay in the Big Apple for another year, but the giants should jump if they have the opportunity to give up their $ 21.15 million capital.

Due to the structure of Golladay’s contract, New York will save $ 17.75 million if they deal with him. Chicago expects only $ 13 million in salaries in 2022. They could cut him after the season and lose a modest $ 3.4 million between 2023 and 2025 if he just doesn’t work.

For Chicago, the best case is that Golladay is thriving with Justin Fields. Fields is a huge feeder, but bears don’t have an explosive big body that can get down. A reception room with Golladay, Darnell Mooney, Velus Jones and Byron Pringle would help Fields make the leap this season.

In this scenario, the giants allocate more space but do not add any pieces to their list. The possibility of adding another $ 3.4 million cap could certainly be more attractive than a veteran player, which is probably not a long-term answer. If there is an urgent need at a training camp or in the pre-season, the Giants may use the additional room to make a separate deal. Or they may have a large rainy day fund for the season and it may be spent in the 2023 free agency period.

Wharton’s next deal would also release another important piece of money. This time, the Kansas City Chiefs are being proposed

Swap Saquon Barkley with Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs can: RB Saquon Barkley
Giants can: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, selection for the fourth round of 2023

The Kansas City Chiefs added three new bodies to their backfield this season, including free agent Ronald Jones and newcomer Isiah Pacheco and Jerrion Ealy. They also just brought back veteran Jerick McKinnon after an impressive 2021 seniority. It is clear that they find this position worrying, despite the fact that Clyde Edwards-Helaire took over in the first round two years ago.

Their best result is to change Edwards-Helaire into a new situation and play a higher talent.

The New York Giants have a bad but expensive list. The new head coach, Brian Daboll, would certainly like to have the whole Saquon Barkley in use in 2022, but from the 2nd option in 2018, the production and availability of the franchise will be limited. A more cautious decision is to trade his $ 7.2 million cap and get a fresh look at Edwards-Helaire.

Despite the fact that Barkley did not have the explosion he had before the ACL was dismantled in 2020, he still has a lot of fans in the league because he has two dangers. His fifth year choice would allow Kansas City to regain its form in one year. Barkley, unlike Edwards-Helaire, would clearly be the most talented back in a crowded room.

When Barkley is traded, I don’t like to do it for another defender. I liked Edwards-Helaire, who came out of LSU, but I would prefer to save $ 2.9 million and let Matt Breidal, Gary Brightwell, Jashuan Corbin, Antonio Williams and Sandro Platzgummer fight in the camp (at least in this scenario). It’s not an inspiring group on paper, but we don’t know who could get up or who could get after the pre-season. Or even how much the ball race is planned by Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka.

I would be absolutely opposed to the final proposed trade, which involves giants.

Swap CB for Jonathan Jones

Patriots can: Selection of the sixth round of 2023
Giants can: CB Jonathan Jones

The New England Patriots currently have the least free space in the NFL. After equipping yourself with a runner, corner protector and wide receiver this off-season, it’s clear there are veterans on the move. We already have a Patriots receiver for Nelson Agholor Texans, but the slot corner Jonathan Jones also seems to be a potential cap-victim.

Jones has been a solid starting slot defender since his second season in 2017, showing excellent speed and toughness in a short running game. He created seven intermissions and 33 disqualifications in six seasons. Until 2021, he had missed only one game during his career.

Unfortunately, Jones suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the season in the 6th week of last year. He will soon turn 29 this September, and in the last year of his deal, he has reached a cap of $ 7.7 million, making him the main target to move.

The Patriots seemed to be his substitutes in the draft. In the third and fourth rounds, they chose two corners of similar construction, Marcus Jones and Jack Jones, respectively.

For Jonathan Jones, it would be a great landing place for the New York Giants. The Giants are skinny around the corner and Jones would be challenged to start with Darnay Holmes right away. If nothing else, his experience and leadership can help New York’s young defense team develop for the future.

The choice of the sixth round is a fairly easy price for a potential starting corner protector. On the other hand, the Giants would not be able to pay Jones’ salary without making any further moves.

But for as many questions as the giants have in secondary matters, they have many choices in the nest corner. The Giants already have natural slot angles Darnay Holmes, Aaron Robinson and now Cor’Dale Fleet – and Julian Love can also play the slot. They have to find an answer against Adoree Jackson. Aaron Robinson will be the first to appear for this job, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to do it. And even if he can, Jackson has a history of injuries that could cause concern about the depth of the position.

While I don’t agree with the purpose of the trade, chasing the Giants corner defender before training camp (or the season itself) may not be a bad idea if the Giants are able to free up a significant amount of money.

The Giants currently have about $ 6.2 million this year and $ 54 million next year, the fourth largest in the league. If the team moves on from Golladay, Barkley and Slayton, they could have up to $ 33.73 million this year and $ 65.5 million next year, and an incredible $ 193.6 million in 2024.

That amount of money could give Joe Schoen all the flexibility he could ask to build the Giants. Owning $ 35 million see may allow Schoen to switch to a corner guard or move beyond 2023 to offer even more flexibility.

Do I expect these steps to be taken? I can’t say I’d be surprised if Slayton is released after training camp, and that would get the Giants out of the situation. But I would be shocked if Barkley and Golladay swapped before the season started. It’s all just an exercise for the quietest part of the NFL calendar. That’s why Wharton first suggested deals and why we’re looking into reasons why giants might consider them.