Rounding Up the Latest New York Giants Offseason Buzz

It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the New York Giants, who have been going about their business of getting ready for the 2015 season.

Still, no offseason is completely devoid of storylines that have the fans buzzing about what is going to happen.

So let’s take a look at what some of the latest buzz is, what each piece of news potentially means and what could end up happening.

There Has Been No Movement on QB Eli Manning's Contract Extension

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Buzz

Gary Myers of the New York Daily News reported that quarterback Eli Manning’s future with the team is unclear beyond this season.

Manning is entering the final year of his contract and, according to Myers’ June 8 article that quotes Manning directly, there have been no discussions between Manning and the team.

What It Means

Franchise quarterbacks don’t fall off trees, and in Manning, the Giants know what they have.

Both co-owners, Steve Tisch and John Mara, have expressed a desire on numerous occasions to see Manning retire as a Giant, with Tisch telling Myers during the NFL owners meetings that there were “’conversations’, not ‘negotiations’” with Tom Condon, Manning’s agent.

If the owners are endorsing such a move, the only thing that could potentially stand in the way of it happening is if Manning’s salary demands are grossly out of whack.

So why hasn’t the deal been done by now, especially before the start of free agency when Manning’s $19.75 million cap figure could have been trimmed down to give the Giants more cap room to play with?

There are likely two reasons for this. 

First, Mara characterized this year’s free-agency class as being “mediocre” back in March. In other words, the Giants felt they had enough money with which to work after trimming Mathias Kiwanuka and center J.D. Walton from the books, and having linebacker Jon Beason take a pay cut.

Second, the Giants, in case it was lost on anyone, had some other situations that were more pressing than addressing a player who is already under contract.

There was preparing for the draft, a key element considering that the front office needed to hit another home run with this class.

There were the minicamps and OTAs and the unexpected, such as the Will Beatty injury, all of which undoubtedly pushed Manning’s contract to the back burner.

What Could Happen

The Giants and Manning are going to get a new deal done. Remember, the last time Manning was due for a contract extension, the two sides met just before the start of training camp, with Manning ending up signed, sealed and delivered in 2010 on a six-year, $97.5 million contract.

Certainly it would behoove both sides to get something done before the start of training camp so that it’s not a topic of conversation every time Manning meets the press.

If Mara and Tisch firmly believe they can still win with Manning as their quarterback, there should be no reason—again, unless Manning’s demands are off the charts—that a new deal won’t get done sooner than later.

There Is Some Interest in OL Jake Long

Uncredited/Associated Press

The Buzz

Following the unexpected pectoral injury suffered by left tackle Will Beatty—an injury that has left the Giants extremely thin at offensive tackle—New York reached out to former St. Louis offensive lineman Jake Long, who is recovering from his second ACL injury.

Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo confirmed that the Giants met with Long, adding that the nature of Long’s visit was to provide “an intro to the team [and] check on his rehab.”

What It Means

Two words: due diligence. General manager Jerry Reese always says that the team investigates everything when it comes to player personnel—the Giants have to just in case another injury happens or if their current lineup doesn’t pan out.

What Could Happen

Don’t expect anything to happen with Long until at the soonest, mid-to-late August—if anything happens at all.

First, it would behoove Long to buy as much time as he can to get his knee in better condition.

In addition, as teams start suffering injuries and/or start realizing that the personnel they have that looked passable during the OTAs when there was no contact or pads suddenly isn’t as good as they thought it was, Long might be able to come away with a better deal for himself.

Will that deal be with the Giants? Remember, there is no contact and no pads during the spring, which makes gauging where the offensive line is to be a challenge.

With that said, head coach Tom Coughlin did drop a very subtle clue during the OTAs that would seem to suggest they were not necessarily married to the configuration of Ereck Flowers at left tackle, Justin Pugh at left guard, Weston Richburg at center, Geoff Schwartz at right guard and Marshall Newhouse at right tackle.

Here is what Coughlin told reporters on May 27 after the first OTA (emphasis added):

"

Obviously, it is a loss for our team in terms of the quality of player being available for us, but we just have to move on. Our plans are to continue to try to figure out how this line is going to fall out, who is going to be where. We will probably try some different combinations to get there.

"

As for Long, there is no telling if he will be able to pass a physical by August.

With that all said, it would be surprising if the Giants add Long to their roster even if he is able to pass the physical.

There are two reasons why. First, if a veteran is signed before Week 1, his salary becomes guaranteed for the season, even if he doesn’t stick on the roster.

Second, the Giants have said they expect to have Beatty back by November. Assuming that does happen, does it make sense to tie up guaranteed money in a veteran tackle when the Giants already have guaranteed money tied up in Beatty?

The answer is no, which is why if the Giants do add to the offensive line, it will more than likely be a training camp casualty from another team. 

WR Odell Beckham Jr.'s Hamstring Is Acting Up Again

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Buzz

Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is once again experiencing soreness in his hamstring, head coach Tom Coughlin confirmed for reporters after the team’s fourth OTA practice on June 1.

Coughlin also went on to reveal that Beckham’s soreness is not on the same side as the hamstring that  forced him to miss most of last spring, most of last summer and the first four games of the 2014 season.

What It Means

Yes, here we go again with Beckham, who has promptly been shut down until further notice.

While there is some good news in that it’s not the hamstring Beckham claimed had two tears, the fact that he’s once again having trouble with his hamstrings would seem to suggest that he’s not doing something right regarding his training/recovery period.

Regardless of what it means physically, the bigger picture means that Beckham cannot get on the field to work on those little things he needs to do in order to take his game to the next level.

In April, quarterback Eli Manning said on a conference call with reporters that timing patterns and chemistry with his receiver were some of the things the two could have worked on this spring.

"There's still some missed throws, a lot of things that we didn't get a rep on, some of the timing throws just because we didn't have a whole lot of time to practice," Manning said. "We didn't have an offseason, we didn't have a training camp to practice some of those things."

Beckham is unlikely to work during the mandatory minicamp, nor should he. The team is hoping the extra time to rest will enable him to go full speed when the team does report for training camp in late July.

What Could Happen

Nothing really; Beckham is going to be held out until there is zero doubt his hamstring is fully healed.

The Giants learned last year the importance of having patience when they allowed Beckham to rush himself back onto the field before he was ready, thereby resulting in him missing the majority of training camp and the first four games of the season.

If Beckham isn’t ready to go when the Giants open training camp, then there will be reason to panic. For now, they’re just being cautious with their key playmaker.

DE Jason Pierre-Paul Is Not Expected to Attend the Mandatory Minicamp

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

The Buzz

Head coach Tom Coughlin has been consistent in insisting that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants’ franchise player who has missed the OTAs, would make an appearance at the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp, which runs from Tuesday through Thursday of this week.

However, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reported on Monday that Pierre-Paul is not expected to attend the minicamp.

What It Means

No, Coughlin hasn’t suddenly lost his marbles in insisting that Pierre-Paul was planning to attend the mandatory minicamp.

When it comes to Pierre-Paul and “will he or won’t he,” this appears to be a matter of cleverly played semantics.

First, the mandatory minicamp consists not just of the on-field work, but also classroom sessions and meetings.

Absent a signed contract or at least a signed injury waiver, Pierre-Paul cannot participate in the physical activities of the minicamp.

What Pierre-Paul can do, if he so chooses, is show up and participate in the meetings and classroom work.

That part of the minicamp, remember, is not open to the media, so there would be little chance of someone from the press spotting Pierre-Paul in a classroom.

What Could Happen

Pierre-Paul has until July 15 to sign a long-term deal with the Giants. Absent that, his only options are to either sit out the 2015 season, which would mean zero guaranteed money, or sign the franchise tender and pocket more than $12 million of guaranteed money.

It would be hard to fathom Pierre-Paul not choosing the latter, though don’t expect that to happen until after the Giants have completed their on-field work for the spring.

While Pierre-Paul would certainly benefit from the on-field reps, remember: He’s looking for the best deal he can possibly get.

While $12 million guaranteed is a sweet deal, Pierre-Paul might rightfully be thinking $50-$60 million of guaranteed money—the amount his next contract could potentially pay him—is a much better deal.

That’s why it would be stunning if Pierre-Paul signs the franchise tender or an injury waiver in order to get on the field this week.

Giants Kicked the Tires on G Evan Mathis

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Buzz

Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media reports that the Giants have an interest in former Philadelphia Eagles guard Evan Mathis, but “only for the right price.”

What It Means

If you’re wondering why the Giants, who, according to the NFLPA's public cap report, have $7.233 million in salary-cap space, haven’t been all over Mathis yet, take a deep breath and look at the overall picture.

First, the Giants still need to sign their first two draft picks from this year: offensive tackle Ereck Flowers and safety Landon Collins.

According to projections by Over the Cap, Flowers’ first-year cap figure projects to $2.616 million, while Collins’ projects to $1.112 million for a total of $3.728 million.

The two lowest contracts will drop out of the top 51—those belong to receiver Juron Criner and offensive lineman Adam Gettis, both of whom count for $585,000 against the top 51.

In reality, then, the signing of Flowers and Collins means that of that $7.233 million in cap space, the total will shrink down to $4.675 million.

If Mathis wasn’t willing to accept over $5 million from the Eagles, what chance would the Giants have of signing him with just a hair under $4.675 million, assuming they were to not make any additional moves regarding lowering the 2015 cap figures of quarterback Eli Manning ($19.75 million) or cornerback Prince Amukamara ($6.898 million)?

What Could Happen

The Giants badly need to add depth at offensive tackle. Mathis, unfortunately, doesn’t fit that bill.

Yes, Mathis is a Pro Bowl guard.

However, the Giants have added some younger, cheaper talent that they plan to develop at guard, those players being Brett Jones, the CFL import, and Bobby Hart, their seventh-round draft pick out of Florida State who will make the move from tackle to guard.

Mathis, remember, was due to make $5.5 million this season, a rather hefty figure.

Even if the Giants were to sign him, there would be a question as to where he’d fit in, since head coach Tom Coughlin already admitted to reporters that the team committed to switching Justin Pugh from right tackle to left guard before Will Beatty’s pectoral muscle injury.

The addition of Mathis, a left guard, would mean the Giants would have to decide between him or Pugh at that position unless the team was willing to return Pugh to right tackle, where, per Pro Football Focus, he held his own in pass protection with a 3.8 grade but struggled in run blocking with a minus-3.6 mark.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. Unless otherwise noted, advanced analytics are from Pro Football Focus, and contract information is from Over the Cap. All other quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

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