Previewing New York Giants' 2015 Salary-Cap Situation
The National Football League runs on vicious hits, breathtaking touchdowns and age-old rivalries.
But, most of all, the NFL runs on the almighty dollar.
Everyone wants to be paid, and shelling out the cash to the right players is the key to success. Overspend, and you're hamstrung; underspend, and you're sitting at home.
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Spread your cap out properly, and you're a playoff team.
To paint a clearer picture of the New York Giants' salary-cap situation in 2015, let's answer these three questions.
How Much Money Do They Have?
The Giants are usually responsible spenders, and their current cap room in 2015 reflects that.
After a couple seasons with a relatively stagnant salary cap, it jumped up by about $10 million before settling at $133 million for the 2014 season. ESPN's Adam Schefter anticipates a similar leap this year, projecting a 2015 salary cap between $138.6 million and $141.8 million.
The calculations at Over The Cap are based on a $140 million salary cap, which lands right in the middle of Schefter's projection. I'll be using the 2015 league-wide and team-specific figures available at OTC throughout the remainder of this article.
The Giants are in the middle of the pack, as far as 2015 cap room is concerned. They rank 18th out of 32 teams, with $16,921,246 to spend. That's a far cry from Jacksonville's league-leading $61,460,376, but it's way better than New Orleans' situation—the Saints are $20,411,945 in the hole.
Although general manager Jerry Reese said New York won't spend "a huge amount"—like last year's $116 million—in free agency this year, per Tom Rock of Newsday, the Giants are likely to increase their cap room by freeing up some extra cash.
How Can They Free Up More Money?
There are a couple ways the Giants can save some money. The coldest way would be to make some cuts.
Last year's big cut was center David Baas, whom the Giants still owe $3.225 million in 2015 dead money. The prime candidates to be cut this year are on the defensive side of the ball.
| E.Manning | $19,750,000 | $2,250,000 | $17,500,000 |
| V.Cruz | $8,125,000 | $5,700,000 | $2,425,000 |
| W.Beatty | $8,050,000 | $8,150,000 | <$100,000> |
| M.Kiwanuka | $7,450,000 | $2,625,000 | $4,825,000 |
| J.Beason | $7,366,666 | $3,833,334 | $3,533,332 |
| D.Rodgers-Cromartie | $7,250,000 | $9,250,000 | <$2,000,000> |
| P.Amukamara | $6,898,000 | $0 | $6,898,000 |
| G.Schwartz | $4,975,000 | $3,400,000 | $1,575,000 |
| J.Walton | $3,125,000 | $625,000 | $2,500,000 |
| S.Weatherford | $3,075,000 | $1,750,000 | $2,500,000 |
Mathias Kiwanuka is the elephant in the room. The former first-round pick (32nd overall, 2006) has been with the Giants for nine seasons, racking up 38.5 sacks and over 400 tackles in 120 games along the way.
After 11 largely ineffective games this season, Kiwanuka is now in danger of becoming a cap casualty. He's due $7.45 million, the team's fourth-highest cap number. Although Kiwi—a veteran with extensive experience at both linebacker and on the defensive line—can contribute in a variety of ways, there's no way he's the fourth-most valuable player on the team.
The Giants can save $4.825 million by cutting Kiwanuka before June 1. Similarly, they can save $2.25 million by cutting soon-to-be 34-year-old defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and another $1.5 million by cutting cornerback Trumaine McBride, who only played four games in 2014.
If New York trims fat along the offensive line again, center J.D. Walton might be the only vulnerable Giant ($2.5 million in savings if cut). Fans frustrated with Will Beatty's play at left tackle will likely need to weather another season with him in the starting lineup—cutting him before June 1 will actually cost New York $100,000.
Another, much warmer way the Giants can create some spending money this offseason is to extend Eli Manning's contract. Currently, the franchise quarterback is slated to become a free agent following the 2015 season. By extending Manning, the Giants can push some of the $17 million he's due this season over the next few years.
How Should They Spend That Money?
The Giants' first order of business should be to take care of their own impending free agents, most notably defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
Injuries and subpar production have drained the All-Pro hype from Pierre-Paul's game since 2011. However, after a resurgent 2014 season, which featured 78 tackles and 12.5 sacks, a return to the Giants appears to be in place.
"I would be very surprised if he was not a Giant next year," John Mara told Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. As a negotiating tactic, the Giants could place the franchise tag on JPP. That will force him to either play under the one-year tender, projected to be worth about $13.1 million, or agree to New York's terms for a new contract.
After Pierre-Paul is taken care of, the Giants can then focus on re-signing some other impending free agents. Safety Antrel Rolle, a team captain, is one popular player a lot of fans would like to see back. Other soon-to-be unrestricted guys include fullback Henry Hynoski, cornerbacks Walter Thurmond III and Zach Bowman, as well as linebackers Mark Herzlich, Spencer Paysinger and Jacquian Williams.
A full list of New York's 2015 free agents can be found here.
After retaining a select cast of Giants, the team can hunt for new ones on the open market. There's no telling which players actually reach free agency in early March, but a pretty strong receiver class is shaping up. Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin and Michael Crabtree are all slated to hit the open market, if they aren't locked up within a couple months.
The more likely scenario involves New York filling gaps in its roster with under-the-radar signings and veterans who can step in and contribute immediately—at least this methodology would align with Reese's postseason comments.
We'll get a better idea of the Giants' plans after the 2014 playoffs have concluded, as we wait to see which players come and go across the league.
Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report.
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