Giants' Top Trade Candidates Ahead of 2022 Training Camp

The future for the New York Giants appears bright. New York has a new head coach in Brian Daboll, who comes from the Buffalo Bills, where he helped turn Josh Allen into one of the league's top quarterbacks.

In the draft, New York landed two potential franchise cornerstones in offensive tackle Evan Neal and pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.

"I believe we got a good pick who's going to bring some joy to Giants fans for some years to come," Giants legend Michael Strahan told WFAN Sports Radio's Tiki & Tierney (h/t NFL.com's Grant Gordon).

2022, however, is going to be a rebuilding year. The Giants haven't been above .500 in the last five seasons, and they'll now be looking for incremental success and evaluating quarterback Daniel Jones—who is in the final year of his contract.

It wouldn't be a shock to see New York trade some players along the way to better equip itself for the future. With this in mind, let's examine logical trade candidates based on factors like past production, player health, contract status and roster depth.

Let's be clear. If the Giants believe that Saquon Barkley can still be a generational ball-carrier and a long-term piece of the puzzle, they should give him one more season with which to prove himself.

Barkely was special as a rookie, topping 2,000 scrimmage yards, and was solid in his second season before injuries derailed his career. However, Barkley suffered a torn ACL in 2020 and was woefully ineffective in 2021, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry.

The possibility that Barkley could return to his rookie Pro Bowl form, however, is why the Penn State product makes for an intriguing trade chip. Another team could be willing to take a gamble on the 25-year-old at a price that aids New York's rebuilding process.

It's not unrealistic to think that a contender could offer a late Day 2 pick to take on the final year of Barkley's rookie deal.

Should such an offer come, New York would be wise to consider it. The Giants are likely at least a couple of years away from contention, and if Barkley plays well in 2022, he'll command a high price tag in free agency.

Will the rebuilding Giants really want to invest considerable money into an injury-prone tailback who turns 26 in February? Unless they truly believe in him, they shouldn't, and they should take the opportunity to flip Barkley to a running back-needy playoff team if it should arise.

Again, we're prioritizing trade value over the 2022 campaign here. In a vacuum, the Giants should have no interest in moving veteran linebacker Blake Martinez. He suffered a torn ACL in 2021 but was an extremely productive centerpiece the previous season.

Martinez finished the 2020 campaign with 151 tackles, three sacks and an interception.

However, Martinez is also entering the final year of his contract and could potentially depart for greener pastures next offseason anyway. If a contender is hurting for linebacker help, the 28-year-old could draw a high Day 3 pick or even a late third-rounder in an offer—provided, of course, he has recovered enough to pass a physical.

There's no guarantee that New York can get a third- or fourth-round compensatory pick if Martinez departs in 2023, and it won't happen if the Giants decide to be free-agent spenders—a distinct possibility, as New York is projected to have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL next year.

Getting a middle-round pick for Martinez now would make plenty of sense from a long-term building standpoint, even if it hurts the defense in the short term. It would net future draft capital and provide opportunities for rookie linebackers Micah McFadden and Darrian Beavers to audition.

Moving Martinez would also save New York some cap space, as Martinez is set to carry a cap hit of $7.7 million with just $4 million of that in dead money.

Receiver Darius Slayton is in a very different situation heading into 2022. He is an impending 2023 free agent, like Barkley and Martinez. Unlike those two, however, he may lack opportunities if he sticks on the roster.

Over the past two offseasons, the Giants have added Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Richie James and Wan'Dale Robinson to a receiver room that also still includes Sterling Shepard. Slayton, who was a 750-yard receiver two years ago, faces an uphill battle for playing time.

Slayton is already a potential cap casualty, as cutting him would save more than $2.5 million off the cap. New York, though, should try trading Slayton rather than outright releasing him.

The 2019 fifth-round pick could be extremely enticing to a team lacking receiver depth. Slayton was terrific in his first two seasons, compiling 1,491 yards and 11 touchdowns, before falling out of favor last year.

In 2021, Slayton caught only 26 passes for 339 yards and two scores.

It's not hard to imagine a team eying Slayton's 2019 and 2020 tape and seeing value. The Giants are unlikely to get anything more than a late selection for Slayton, but that's more than they'll get if the logjam at receiver forces him off the roster on cutdown day.

Cap and contract information via Spotrac.