NFL free agency kicked off on Monday, allowing players to negotiate contracts with new teams. The New York Giants and Jets were active early on.
Starting with the Giants: their best signing was tight end Isaiah Likely for a three-year deal. The former Baltimore Raven solves so many problems for Big Blue. The Giants were never able to retain a solid, reliable, tight end. They have had bright moments from Daniel Bellinger and Theo Johnson, but both have also had their fair share of negatives. Likely will reunite with Head Coach John Harbaugh in The Big Apple. The tight end had 307 yardsand a touchdown last season on 27 receptions.
Speaking of reuniting with their head coach, the Giants picked up fullback Patrick Ricard on a two-year deal. This is an amazing move for New York, adding a dominant blocker for the running back room, as well as allowing for some trick plays to include the three-time All-Pro.
The Giants inked linebacker Tremaine Edmunds for a three-year deal. The former Chicago Bear had 112 total tackles and picked up four interceptions last season. He was a huge factor in the Bears’ run to the playoffs. Edmunds is a crucial pickup for the horrendous defense the Giants have.
Big Blue brought back two offensive linemen, Jermaine Eluemunor and Evan Neal. Eluemunor had a great season on the right side of the line with All-Pro Andrew Thomas to his right. His pass protection for Jaxson Dart is a key reason why he was retained by New York. On the other hand, Evan Neal has been an issue for the Giants. Neal didn’t see the field last season due to injury. The season prior saw him rank last place with a pass block win rate of 82.9%. The seventh pick in the 2022 draft had high expectations, and it is safe to say he did not live up to them. With the addition of Harbaugh at the helm, we can only hope that he can develop Neal into an above-average guard.
The last notable signing for the Giants is cornerback Greg Newsome II on a one-year deal. This signing fills Cor’Dale Flott’s spot, as Flott signed with Tennessee. This is a low-risk, high-reward move. He was a first rounder in 2022 and had a great first two seasons, but the last two have been down seasons to say the least. Newsome was traded from Cleveland to Jacksonville last season, and now the Giants will place a bet on Newsome to have a comeback year.
Flott is not the only Giant that the Titans picked up. Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson signed a four-year, $70 million deal for the Music City. Tight end Daniel Bellinger also signed for Tennessee. The Titans are getting great talent and already have chemistry with one another.
Shifting gears to the Jets: They completed a trade with Las Vegas, sending a sixth-round pick for Geno Smith. Smith started his career with New York back in 2013 and will have a second shot in the state next season. Smith won the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year award with Seattle, throwing for over 4,200 yards and 30 touchdowns. The next two seasons with the Seahawks were similar, and then he signed with the Raiders. Last season was one to forget, as he threw 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The team finished with a 3-14 record, earning themselves the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. It seems as if the Jets have missed their quarterback every season. After an anticlimactic few seasons with Aaron Rodgers to a disappointing Justin Fields to an aging veteran, I just don’t see how this reunion will work out.
The Jets made another trade, landing safety Minkah Fitzpatrick from Miami. The 29-year-old then agreed to sign a three-year, $40 million contract with New York. Last season in Miami, he recorded 82 total tackles, six pass breakups, four tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and one interception.
Edge rusher Joseph Ossai signed a three-year, $34.5 million deal. New York recorded the fewest sacks in the NFL (26), so it’s no surprise they need edge rushers in the worst way possible. Ossai had a career year with Cincinnati last season in terms of pass rush win rate and quarterback pressure percentage. This addition is even larger if you consider the fact that the Jets’ best rusher, Jermaine Johnson, was traded to Tennessee.
Veteran linebacker Demario Davis was brought in on a two-year, $22 million deal. Head Coach Aaron Glenn couldn’t praise Davis enough, calling him “one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around.” We can expect him to mentor younger defenders and be a key building block for the defense moving forward.
Cornerback Nahshon Wright was signed on a one-year $3.5 million deal. Why not? The Jets made history, well, history you don’t want to be known for, as they did not record a single interception last season. Wright is coming off a 5-interception season, which was tied for the most among cornerbacks. Maybe this is the (W)right move for the Jets if they want to get back into the interception category again.