New York Giants' Biggest 2018 Offseason Free-Agency Decisions

One of the first things the New York Giants will have to do, regardless of what team ownership decides to do with general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo, is to decide how to proceed with their upcoming unrestricted free agents.

Some of the decisions will be fairly simple; others not so much. As always, it will come down to money and value.

Per Over the Cap, which estimates a $178 million cap league-wide next year, the Giants are estimated to have $30,873,050 in space before any contract terminations are made and before any year-end credits are added up.

So let's take a rundown of some of the big decisions that the team will face next year and try to anticipate which direction they'll pursue.

C Weston Richburg

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

If there is one thing the Giants haven't done enough of during the Reese era, it's re-sign their draft picks to second contracts.

Since Reese became the general manager in 2007, only offensive tackle Will Beatty (2009) and Jason Pierre-Paul (2010) have been signed to second deals.

This year, the Giants will have a handful of draft picks whose deals are up for renewal. However, one guy who probably will not be re-signed is center Weston Richburg, the team’s second-round pick in 2014.

Richburg, who has dealt with injuries the last two seasons—he tore ligaments in his hand last season and landed on injured reserve with a concussion this year—is a smallish but technically sound center who has developed into a quality young leader on that offensive line.

With that said, the Giants offensive line is almost certain to be addressed next season as there is no way management can continue to expect Eli Manning (or whoever is the starting quarterback next year) to continue to throw the ball almost as soon as he gets it from center.

The Giants are going to have plenty of other decisions about where they spend their cap resources.

Given Richburg is nearly identical to Brett Jones—the current center who will be a restricted free agent after this year—and the offense hasn't struggled noticeably with Jones under center, Richburg's future with the team seems to have become clarified. 

With the Giants looking at many other glaring needs, re-signing Richburg to a new deal looks like a long shot to occur, especially if they can get Jones for a fraction of the price.

OL Justin Pugh

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One draft pick likely to get a second contract from the Giants is offensive lineman Justin Pugh, who pound-for-pound has been their best offensive lineman over the last several years.

There's just one problem, however. Pugh hasn't been able to play a 16-game season since 2013, his rookie campaign.

He missed several games last year with a knee injury, and this year McAdoo said the 27-year-old is likely to miss some time with a back ailment.

Therein lies the red flag for the Giants. While Pugh is worth re-signing, can they afford to give him a boatload of money to make it happen? They might not have a choice unless they plan to completely tear down the offensive line and start from scratch.

One thing the Giants might want to try to include in Pugh's next contract is a per-game roster bonus, whereby for every game he's on the field, he gets a bonus.

That way, if his unlucky injury streak continues, there will be some cap relief coming their way at the end of the year when the final accounting is done.

LB Devon Kennard

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Devon Kennard has been the starting strong-side linebacker since his rookie season. What's interesting about him, though, is how the Giants have used him through the years.

In 2014—his best season as a pro stats-wise—Kennard, who played in a 3-4 defensive alignment in college and has some pass-rushing ability, recorded 4.5 sacks.

Since then, he has been used mostly as a two-down linebacker who barely gets a chance to rush the passer, though he did get some snaps at the defensive tackle spot last year when he put those pass-rushing skills to good use.

With that said, Kennard, who has also had an injury history—he's played just one 16-game season (last year) in his four years in the league—is someone the team should look to re-sign if the price is right, and someone whose deal should have a per-game roster bonus.

If they do bring the 26-year-old back, they might also want to revisit using him as a pass-rusher moving forward to optimize the return on their investment.

RB Orleans Darkwa

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

After finally shaking the injury bug, running back Orleans Darkwa—who was signed off the Miami practice squad in 2014—has finally gotten his chance to show the NFL he's a capable running back.  

As good as the 25-year-old has been, though, let's remember he has also been part of a running back committee.

To that end, the Giants would be foolish to break open the bank for Darkwa, especially if they retain the current coaching staff, a group that has historically favored the pass over the run.  

Does Darkwa deserve a raise from the $690,000 base salary he's earning this year? Absolutely. But given that he's not a feature back in the same mold as Ezekiel Elliott, the Giants would be best not to go crazy to re-sign him.

LB Jonathan Casillas

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Veteran linebacker Jonathan Casillas is wrapping up the final year of a three-year, $6.175 million contract.

In that time, the two-time defensive captain's best season was last year when he not only made it through a 16-game campaign, he also posted career highs in tackles (96) and passes defensed (eight).

While the 30-year-old's leadership and devotion to the program has been admirable, he has also dealt with some injuries, most recently a neck ailment that cost him three games.

Although Casillas has returned this season, the Giants might be better off going in another direction with a younger, cheaper option who can be a cornerstone of that unit for several years to come.

OL D.J. Fluker

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The Giants took a flier on offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, the former first-round pick of the then-San Diego Chargers, in 2013.

Fluker, who got off to a slow start after joining on a one-year $3 million deal, has finally found himself in the starting lineup at right guard, a position he showed last week he's not about to relinquish—not even after suffering an ankle injury that landed him on the injury report this week.

While the 26-year-old hasn't been perfect—his early struggles appeared to be a result of him refining years of poor technique that were never really smoothed out before he came to the Giants—he has allowed the team to run the ball much better on that right side than they did previously.

Add to that Fluker's willingness and determination to play through injury and his genuine appreciation for being a member of the Giants, and a second contract wouldn't be such a bad thing for an offensive line that needs all the big and nasty players it can find.

Salary-cap and contract data information is via Over the Cap.

Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.