Giants' Top Players to Avoid in 2021 NFL Free Agency

The New York Giants are likely beginning another rebuild in 2022. While they appear content to give quarterback Daniel Jones another season to prove himself, they are starting over in the front office.

Joe Schoen has been hired as general manager and Brian Daboll is the new head coach. Both come from the Buffalo Bills, which has experienced a resurgence in recent years. Undoubtedly, the Giants hope the two can spark similar success in New York.

While Schoen and Daboll may indeed be the right people for the task at hand, the Giants still must improve a roster that ranked 23rd in points allowed and 31st in scoring last season. Doing the work in free agency will prove difficult, as New York is projected to be $10.7 million over the salary cap.

Even if the Giants can create enough cap space to become free-agent players, they'll need to be picky with their spending.

With this in mind, let's examine three impending free agents who should not be on New York's radar next month, based on factors such as team needs, projected price point, player potential, player health and cap space.

The Giants likely hired Daboll because of the work he did with Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

Jones and Allen are different players, but Daboll's offensive mindset could still yield dividends for New York's young passer.

"This offense could be fantastic for him," former Giants center Shaun O'Hara said, per Mike Kaye of NJ Advanced Media.

Improving the 24-year-old quarterback's supporting cast should be a goal for the Giants this offseason, but while wideout Chris Godwin is one of the biggest offensive names available, he shouldn't be on New York's wish list.

There are a couple of reasons for this, starting with the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout suffered a torn ACL in mid-December. New York will want to get off to a fast start in the Daboll era, and the 25-year-old may not be ready early in the season.

The Giants also invested heavily in the receiver position last year, using a first-round pick on Kadarius Toney and signing Kenny Golladay to a four-year, $72 million deal. New York should see what Daboll can get out of its receiving corps before chasing another high-priced free agent.

And then there's Godwin's price tag. He has a projected market value of $18.1 million, which simply does not fit with the Giants' cap situation. If New York is intent on upgrading its receiving corps, it should look to do so in the draft.

Pass-rusher Takkarist McKinley does represent the sort of budget option that fits with New York's cap situation. He played on a modest one-year, $4.25 million deal in 2021 and was effective as part of the Cleveland Browns' pass-rushing rotation.

The 26-year-old posted 2.5 sacks and 14 quarterback pressures while playing only 43 percent of the defensive snaps in 11 games, according to Pro Football Reference.

Like Godwin, though, McKinley is coming off a serious injury. He suffered a torn Achilles in late December and probably won't be ready early in 2022. 

The UCLA product is a better target for a team that plans to make the playoffs and views him as a late-season or postseason pass-rushing reinforcement. That's not New York. While the Giants should be hopeful about their playoff chances, they're far from a playoff lock.

New York has gone just 22-59 over the last five seasons and needs to find players who can contribute right away.

After allowing 38 sacks and ranking just 22nd in yards per carry in 2021, the Giants should be eager to upgrade their offensive line. Replacing impending free agent and right tackle Nate Solder may be part of the equation.

Might Daboll and Schoen look to a familiar player in Bills (practice squad) lineman Bobby Hart? They shouldn't.

While the 27-year-old is likely familiar with the offense Daboll will bring to New York, he isn't exactly a high-end player. He appeared in one game with Buffalo and three with the Tennessee Titans in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus, he was responsible for three penalties and two sacks allowed in only 102 snaps.

Back in 2019, Hart had seven penalties and six sacks allowed in 1,086 snaps, per PFF.

The Florida State product can probably be signed on the cheap, but that's not reason enough for New York to add him. If the Giants are looking for a low price point, it's better off taking a flier on an unproven draft prospect. Hart is a more proven player, but he's proved himself to be a liability.

*Contract and cap information via Spotrac.