Giants Reportedly Will Release LB Bobby Okereke, How Does Move Affect Salary Cap?

The New York Giants will reportedly release linebacker Bobby Okereke, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

The Giants will save $9 million on their 2026 cap with the release, per Over the Cap. They'll take on $5.5 million in dead money.

The former Stanford star and third-round draft pick spent his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts before signing a four-year, $40 million contract with New York before the 2023 season.

Okereke, who turns 30 years old on July 29, arguably had his best season in 2023, when he amassed 149 tackles (92 solo, 11 tackles for a loss), six quarterback hits, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions.

He didn't fare as well in New York over the past two seasons but still notably put up 143 tackles (78 solo) in 2025.

Cutting Okereke made sense from a financial perspective. Entering Tuesday, the Giants only had $1.8 million in cap space, per Over the Cap. Now New York has nearly $11 million in space with the potential of more release to create further cap room.

Okereke, who was the Giants' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2025 and the squad's defensive captain as well, shouldn't have much issue finding a new team after a productive year. Simply put, he's a tackling machine.

As for the Giants, they'll have a brand-new inside linebacker crew with Okereke cut and Micah McFadden, the Week 1 starter who suffered season-ending Lisfranc surgery, now a free agent. ESPN's Jordan Raanan said to expect the team to be "aggressive in finding a replacement."

They pick fifth in the draft and are reportedly interested in Ohio State's Sonny Styles, per SNY's Connor Hughes.

Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, an impending free agent, could also be a fit, as mentioned by Bobby Skinner of Giants Nation and Dan Schneier of Big Blue Banter.

We'll see what the Giants decide soon enough with free agency beginning March 11 and the draft starting on April 23.