Biggest Offseason Contract Decisions for Giants

The New York Giants didn't quite have the 2020 campaign they might have hoped to have. They did show toughness under head coach Joe Judge, and their defense did become dominant under coordinator Patrick Graham. However, they finished just 6-10 and missed out on a opportunity to win the woeful NFC East.

If New York is going to build upon its 2020 positives, it will have to improve its current roster. That will be a challenge for general manager Dave Gettleman—though we can expect Judge to have his fair share of say in free agency and the draft.

"I feel better about our roster than I have in years. I think the two of them working together have started the building process of something that can have sustained success going forward," team co-owner John Mara said, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

Before the Giants can dive headfirst into the offseason, though, they have some roster management to tackle. New York is projected to be more than $12 million over the salary cap. This means Gettleman will have to free up some cap space and have some difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks.

Here, we'll dive into some of the most difficult contract decisions pending for the Giants.

Leonard Williams

Corey Sipkin/Associated Press

This is probably the biggest decision looming for Gettleman. He obviously thinks highly of defensive lineman Leonard Williams, as the GM traded third- and fourth-round picks to acquire him in 2019 and then handed him the franchise tag in 2020.

Those bold moves paid off, as the USC product finished 2020 with 11.5 sacks and a whopping 41 quarterback pressures.

At just 26 years old, Williams has the potential to be a long-term building block in the Giants defense. The problem, of course, is that he is going to be highly coveted in free agency and New York doesn't currently have the cap space to engage in a bidding war.

It would behoove the Giants to get an extension done before free agency begins on March 17. Given the cap situation, though, that will also prove difficult.

Dalvin Tomlinson

Corey Sipkin/Associated Press

Complicating matters with Williams is the fact that fellow defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson is also slated to become a free agent. While not quite as disruptive as Williams, he is a tremendous down lineman in his own right.

In 2020, the 26-year-old amassed 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four passes defended, eight tackles for loss and 14 quarterback pressures.

Like Williams, Tomlinson is going to be a hot commodity on the open market. In an ideal world, the Giants would retain both for the 2021 season, but that isn't likely to happen. Therefore, Gettleman may be forced to choose between them while also trying to find the cap space to sign his choice to a long-term deal.

Presumably, Judge's voice will carry a lot of weight here, but Gettleman is the man who invested heavily into Williams and that will likely also be a factor.

Saquon Barkley

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

To be honest, Saquon Barkley's contract shouldn't be an issue for this offseason. The standout running back missed almost all of 2020 with a torn ACL and has two years remaining on his rookie contract—if the Giants exercise his fifth-year option.

However, the 23-year-old will be eligible for an extension this offseason and is expected to seek one, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64 million extension after his third season. And Barkley will likely be looking for the same treatment, but the Giants have done little to give themselves leverage.

"I certainly expect him to be a Giant for a very long time." Giants co-owner John Mara said, per Leonard.

This could lead to a delicate dance where Gettleman tries to avoid a contract holdout and/or uses the opportunity to restructure Barkley's deal in a manner that frees up some cap space in the short term.

This will be a difficult decision to make, largely because the Giants don't have to do anything right now. Still, a decision is likely coming this offseason.

*Contract and cap information via Spotrac, advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.