The New York Giants have yet another crucial offseason ahead of them with plenty of work to do following a season of regression last year.
General manager Joe Schoen and the front office will be busy at work but at the forefront of their priority list is deciding about their own players set to become free agents when the new league year begins on March 13.
FOX Sports recently released their list of the top 50 free agents and two Giants players made the cut.
Former Giants Leonard Williams (17) and Kevin Zietler (36) also made the list.
The list also included potential landing spots for all 50 players and the Giants were only listed for two other players other than their own: running back Josh Jacobs (15) and wide receiver Marquise Brown (32).
While it may be obvious who the two Giants are who made the list, let’s see where they fell.
Saquon Barkley
20. Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants
Will the league still be lukewarm to running backs in free agency? Barkley dropped off from a 2022 Pro Bowl season, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry — only two backs carried as many times as he did and averaged less. A high-volume bell-cow back at 27 should still get in the neighborhood of $10 million a year — and could still get back to 1,300-yard seasons in the right offense.
POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS: Giants, Chicago, New England
A year ago, Barkley appeared destined to remain in Giants blue. Now, things have clearly changed. He didn’t get the long-term deal he desired and although he continues to say he wants to be a Giant for life, Barkley has also said he can see himself in another uniform next season.
Saquon’s value probably isn’t what it was a year ago and with a bunch of free agent running backs likely hitting the open market, he could be one of a few big-name backs to switch teams when free agency begins.
Xavier McKinney
50. Xavier McKinney, S, Giants
One of two NFL players to play every defensive snap this season, he had a career-best 116 tackles, picked off three passes and forced two fumbles. He’s a sure tackler who’s solid in coverage, and he’s among the youngest players among this year’s unrestricted free agents.
POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS: Giants, Chicago, Dallas
McKinney is coming off the best season of his career. The Giants should heavily consider retaining McKinney, who was one of the defense’s best players last season.
After letting Julian Love walk in free agency last offseason, re-signing McKinney would give the defense a sense of continuity moving forward.
