5 Unrestricted Free Agents the New York Giants Should Re-Sign

The New York Giants are facing another busy offseason, with decisions needing to be made on 18 unrestricted free agents, the list of which is below (h/t Spotrac):

Position/Player	Age
S Antrel Rolle	32
DE Jason Pierre-Paul	25
CB Walter Thurmond	27
S Stevie Brown	27
OLB Jacquian Williams	26
OLB Spencer Paysinger	26
S Quintin Demps	29
FB Henry Hynoski	25
OL James Brewer	26
DT Mike Paterson	31
WR Jerrel Jernigan	25
CB Zack Bowman	30
OL John Jerry	28
OL Adam Snyder	32
TE Daniel Fells	31
WR Kevin Ogletree	27
CB Chykie Brown	27
LB Mark Herzlich	27

Only a small handful of these players are likely to be brought back in 2016, so let’s take a look at the five who make the most sense and what a projected contract might look like for each.  

Fullback Henry Hynoski

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

There was a time when it looked like the Hynocerous—fullback Henry Hynoski—might be going the way of the white rhino as far as the Giants offense was concerned.

Just look at his snap totals for proof. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Hynoski has been involved in just 18.4 percent of the Giants offensive plays this year (185 snaps).

That’s a significant reduction from the 428 snaps (41.4 percent) he had in 2012, his last full season—he missed most of 2013 with a fractured shoulder—prior to this year.

The likely reason for Hynoski’s reduced 2014 workload is that new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo seems to favor using the tight ends in place of a traditional fullback because of the versatility the tight end position offers.

That is fine if the tight ends can handle lead-blocking duties. However, that hasn’t been the case.

Starter Larry Donnell’s PFF run-blocking grade is minus-12.3; Daniel Fells (an unrestricted free agent as well) has a 2.9 run-blocking grade, currently the best mark of the Giants tight ends.

Hynoski? Ranked as PFF’s second-best overall fullback, his 4.4 run-blocking grade is head and shoulders above any of the Giants tight ends.

Want more evidence of Hynoski’s effect on the running game? New York’s three-best overall rushing performances this season—Houston (193 yards), Washington (154 yards) and Tennessee (142 yards) —all coincided with Hynoski receiving his highest game-snap totals in a game.

If that’s not enough of a reason to keep Hynoski around, consider this. He not only can catch the ball, but he’s shown himself to be a good rusher when it comes to getting those tough yards in short yardage situations.

Per ESPN’s stats, four of Hynoski’s seven rushes (57.1 percent) have gone for first downs this season.

So what kind of deal might Hynoski receive given his reduced role in the offense? A three-year deal averaging $1.33 million per year (and which includes a $1 million signing bonus) might be a good way to go assuming that the deal includes roster bonuses in years two and three, and Pro Bowl incentives. 

Such a deal would give the Giants flexibility if they chose to cut him after the first year of the contract, something that would probably only happen if the offensive line and tight ends show improvement in run blocking.  

Linebacker Mark Herzlich

Alex Trautwig/Getty Images

The drafting of linebacker Devon Kennard in the fifth round is proving to be a steal, as Kennard has clearly defined himself as a cornerstone of the unit for the future.

However, the rest of the unit is about to enter a state of flux.  

As noted in an earlier article, Jon Beason has a high cap number that the Giants will have to decide whether to carry in 2015. Regardless of that decision, it’s probably safe to assume that Beason might not be in the team’s long-term plans.

Spencer Paysinger, an UFA, has seen his snaps on defense drastically reduced. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he has had just 62 snaps on defense this year (12 percent) versus the 707 snaps (68.7 percent) he had last season.  

Jacquian Williams? He remains one of the most complete linebackers the Giants have as far as skill set goes, but the production hasn’t really been there this year.

Although Williams, now on IR after missing five games with a concussion, is currently second on the team in total tackles with 75 (Jameel McClain leads with 101), on first glance, many of his tackles have taken place several yards down field.  

Why re-sign Herzlich? Believe it or not, he has been having his best season as a pro, especially in run support where his 8.3 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) is the best of the Giants outside linebackers this season.

The Giants are going to need depth at linebacker, even if they draft another player at the position in the spring. While Herzlich’s coverage abilities aren’t as good, he can play all the linebacker positions and contribute on special teams, making him worth a projected two-year contract averaging about $1.025 million per year.

Cornerback Walter Thurmond III

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Although the Giants never really got a chance to see much from slot cornerback Walter Thurmond III, who was lost for the season after suffering a pectoral tear in Week 2, when healthy, he is more than just a serviceable slot cornerback.

Last season with Seattle, the 27-year-old Thurmond finished with a 74.9 NFL rating, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), a rating that saw him give up zero touchdowns in the 15 games he played (including the postseason).  

This year with the Giants, with whom he signed a one-year deal worth $3 million per Over the Cap, Thurmond never really got a chance to prove he was the upgrade the Giants sought for the position.

If the Giants can get him back to join Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara for a full season, they should have a solid cornerback trio that will help the pass rush, just as they initially envisioned.

Because the Giants gambled a bit with Thurmond’s contract—OTC lists the details to be a $1.975 million base salary of which $1 million was guaranteed, and a $1 million roster bonus—they may want to see if Thurmond is up for a three-year deal averaging around $2 million per year. 

Defensive End Jason Pierre-Paul

Al Bello/Getty Images

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear about defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and his next contract: He is unlikely to get anywhere close to the kind of money that Houston’s dynamic J.J. Watt, a 3-4 defensive end, received.

Pierre-Paul hasn’t been anywhere near as productive as Watt, but he been one of the best players on the Giants defensive front.

While it’s true that six of his 9.5 sacks this year have come in the last three games, against opponents widely regarded as weaker competition, Pierre-Paul has really proven his worth in the run defense, where he is the league’s top-ranked, 4-3 defensive end per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

A closer look at Pierre-Paul’s production against the run, based on PFF’s stats, shows that of his 51 total tackles, 44 of them have been categorized as a “stop” (defined as an offensive failure, including sacks).

That means that not much is getting past Pierre-Paul on the ground, which has to make head coach Tom Coughlin, who is always stressing the importance of stopping the run, happy.

So what kind of contract might Pierre-Paul, who turns 26 on New Year’s Day, get? The most likely scenario will be a four-year deal averaging somewhere north of $10 million per year.

Safety Antrel Rolle

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The future of safety Antrel Rolle is probably going to generate one of the hottest debates this offseason.

Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News and Ed Valentine of SB Nation’s Big Blue View have already weighed in with the opinion that it’s time for the Giants to move on from Rolle, who signed as a free agent in 2010.

If one were to go strictly on performance, the stats indicate that Rolle’s performance this season hasn’t been as good as last year’s showing.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Rolle recorded 86 total tackles, 29 of which were stops (solo defensive tackles that constitute an offensive failure, including sacks) in 2013, a Pro Bowl season.

This year through 14 games, his totals have dipped to 65 tackles and 19 stops. With that dip, PFF’s overall grade for him fell from 8.0 in 2013 to minus-6.6 in 2014, with two games remaining this season.

Speaking of tackles, last year, PFF had Rolle down for 11 missed tackles. This year, that number is up to 14.

In coverage, Rolle has also seen his performance dip. Per PFF, his 2013 NFL Rating was 43.1; this year it’s risen to 79.4 (the lower the number, the better for a defensive player).

The differences for Rolle, according to PFF’s numbers, is that he has allowed two touchdowns this season (versus one last year); he has three interceptions (versus six in 2013), and has allowed 398 passing yards against him (versus 339 in 2013).

So why should he be among those Giants UFAs re-signed given these dips in his production?

Based on the decline in the stats, Rolle should not be given a raise in 2015, even though per Over the Cap, his base salary has stayed at $7 million in each of the last two seasons. 

The safety position, much like the linebackers, is potentially looking at a major transformation this offseason.

Quintin Demps and Stevie Brown are both unrestricted free agents, with the chances of both returning very low.

Cooper Taylor showed some promise in training camp, but for the second year in a row, he landed on the injured reserve list, which has to be a concern moving forward. 

Rookie Nat Berhe figures to be in the mix next year for one of the two starting jobs—he has the potential to be an upgrade over Demps and possibly even Brown because Berhe can play that pseudo linebacker role that Deon Grant used to play for the Giants.

Rolle still offers a lot of value, and he’s correct when he said during his weekly WFAN radio spot that, “I still have a lot in the tank” (h/t Paul Schwartz, New York Post).    

He offers durability—he hasn’t missed a game for the Giants, which is rare given how the injury bug has ravaged that team of late.

And yes, he’s a team leader who, while sometimes letting his emotions get the better of him during a game, is still held in high regard by his teammates.

If the 32-year-old Rolle is re-signed by the Giants, a two-year deal averaging in the neighborhood of $2 million per year could be the way to go, as it doesn’t carry with it a long-term commitment and is a good investment at a position that will need veteran leadership. 

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.