Cut, Keep or Restructure: Making Call on New York Giants' Worst Contracts
The NFL offseason is full of tough decisions if you're a team in flux.
The New York Giants have a handful of these decisions to make in the coming months. After winning only six games in 2014, major changes must be on the way. These changes always begin with a long look at the salary cap.
Several veterans have an excessively high cap number coming up in 2015. For five of the highest-paid Giants, I've mapped out the course of action New York should take: cut, keep or restructure.
Click through the slideshow to review my decisions, and share in the comments section below what you'd do if you were general manager of the Giants.
*All salary-cap information courtesy of Over The Cap.
QB Eli Manning
1 of 5
2015 Cap Number: $19,750,000
Quarterback Eli Manning is deservedly New York's highest-paid player. In today's NFL, a team with serious Super Bowl aspirations needs a quarterback who can carry it to victory under immense pressure. Twice, Manning has proved himself capable of doing just that.
Manning's 2015 cap number, however, nears $20 million (about 15 percent of the Giants' total cap number). If the Giants want to load up on weapons around him and blockers in front of him—not to mention personnel for a revamped defensive unit—they'll have to spread that money around a bit.
The best way to address this issue is with an extension. Manning, 34, is getting up there in age, but he's coming off his best statistical season of his career. The marriage between him and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is still in the honeymoon stage, so let's give it a few more years to see what it can yield.
Extending Manning's current contract by, say, five years will push a considerable amount of his monstrous cap number out over the next half-decade. There's no need to have impending free agency inhabiting even a corner of the franchise quarterback's mind during the 2015 season.
Decision: Restructure
LT Will Beatty
2 of 5
2015 Cap Number: $8,050,000
No one is excited about Will Beatty's performance at left tackle. Beatty's game improved from unsightly to serviceable from 2013 to 2014, but there's still no way Eli Manning is perfectly comfortable with his blindside protection.
Beatty is due just over $8 million in 2015, New York's third-highest cap number. You can forget about cutting him outright; the Giants would lose $100,000 if they chose that route. The O-lineman is only two years deep in his current contract, and this season will serve as the hump in a horrendous five-year deal.
That means the Giants may bite the bullet and just ride this contract out for another season. A restructuring isn't out of the question, but things could still turn around for the 29-year-old. With significant improvement, the contract may end up justified. With a premature restructure, the Giants may find themselves unnecessarily hamstrung when dealing with the salary cap in a year or two.
It's simply too soon to pull the trigger on Beatty's contract. Instead, let the deal play itself out for one more year.
Decision: Keep
DE Mathias Kiwanuka
3 of 5
2015 Cap Number: $7,450,000
Veteran defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka is a deer in the headlights with a $7.45 million payday due his way in 2015. After spending his first eight professional seasons between the defensive line and linebacker units—mostly as an off-the-bench pass-rusher—Kiwi finally earned a full-time starting job at left defensive end last season.
For the most part, Kiwanuka was underwhelming in the biggest role of his career (2.5 sacks in 11 games). Although the former first-round selection has been a valiant contributor for quite some time, few are enthusiastic about the 31-year-old's future production. Due to this lack of faith in a potential turnaround, an extension of Kiwi's contract is highly unlikely.
The Giants should cut Kiwanuka, saving the team $4.825 million in cap space. That money can go toward bringing in a younger, more effective pass-rusher (or defensive back, also a need) in free agency. The only way Kiwi is kept on the roster is if he agrees to a massive pay cut and the team still finds his versatility and experience somewhat valuable.
It won't be the easiest of goodbyes after nine seasons and two Super Bowl victories, but Kiwanuka may have already played his final down as a Giant.
Decision: Cut
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CB Prince Amukamara
4 of 5
2015 Cap Number: $6,898,000
Cornerback Prince Amukamara is owed a pretty penny next season. The up-and-coming cover man will see his money, but his current contract isn't ideal for either party. There's a chance Amukamara and the Giants torch the final year of his rookie contract and start anew.
Amukamara is a valuable peg in the Giants' fluctuating defensive backfield, especially if he's healthy (20 games missed in four seasons). Safety and team captain Antrel Rolle might become a free agent in March, so much about New York's secondary is uncertain beyond the starting duo of Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at cornerback.
With defensive changes on the way, Big Blue must take care of the few certainties it enjoys.
Despite the injuries, Amukamara is just that. None of the 25-year-old's nearly $7 million due in 2015 is guaranteed. Although there's no chance he's cut this offseason, the young corner could use a bit of security moving forward. The Giants won't save much—if any—by extending Amukamara, but it's the smart thing to do in the long run.
Decision: Restructure
DT Cullen Jenkins
5 of 5
2015 Cap Number: $2,916,668
The Giants are looking for a fresh start on defense, and tackle Cullen Jenkins doesn't really fit that mold. An 11-year veteran of the league, Jenkins was starting to slow down in 2014 as injuries stifled his production (1.0 sack, 16 tackles in 12 games). The window of opportunity New York saw when signing Jenkins before the 2013 season has slammed shut rather abruptly.
With a 34th birthday coming up in a couple of weeks, Jenkins just isn't the player he once was with the Green Bay Packers. No one knows how much he has left in the tank, but it's a safe bet to assume it's not $3 million worth. The price and production simply do not align here.
New York can pocket $2.25 million by parting ways with Jenkins this offseason. That sum won't buy the Giants a new defense, but every little bit counts when a team is trying to rebuild. It's time for 2014 third-rounder Jay Bromley and others of that ilk to prove they can produce in roles once belonging to veterans like Jenkins.
Let the experiment begin.
Decision: Cut
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