The New York Giants and the rest of the NFL can officially and legally start talking contract numbers at noon with representatives for free agents from other teams. This is when the exact terms of deals already loosely (and technically illegally) outlined at the combine get finalized.
The offseason, which is already off to a fast start, may only get crazier beginning Monday afternoon. The floodgates officially open on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (ET).
The Giants have some quality players hitting the market. I picked seven of the most intriguing and polled a panel including two executives, a salary cap expert and two agents familiar with the current market about what kind of deals they expect from the group.
The results:
OL Justin Pugh: 4-year deal worth $36 million ($18 million guaranteed)
He’s one of the top offensive linemen in a weak offensive line market. He’s projected to do rather well in free agency with his versatility to play guard or tackle being viewed as a positive. Whether Pugh returns to the Giants will likely depend on what happens with projected top target Andrew Norwell. Pugh’s injury history appears to be what kept his average-per-year projection under $10 million. One participant even suggested a one-year, $8.5 million deal because Pugh has missed at least two games in four consecutive seasons. When Pugh’s on the field, though, he’s a quality player. He has allowed only five quarterback hits in 26 career games at guard.
RB Orleans Darkwa: 3-year deal worth $9 million ($3.5 million guaranteed)
This is a good time to be coming off the best season of his career. Darkwa finally received significant opportunities on offense and averaged a more-than-respectable 4.4 yards per carry, tied for 10th in the NFL. All five panelists had Darkwa in the $3 million-per-year range. That’s not a bad number for a running back. It’s hard to get rewarded at that position, but Darkwa runs hard and has special-teams value.
C Weston Richburg: 4-year deal worth $31 million ($14 million guaranteed)
It didn’t end well for Richburg with the Giants. He’s unlikely to return after he was surprisingly placed on injured reserve against his wishes with 10 games remaining because of a concussion. He was cleared well before the season was over, though. Nobody seems to expect that to be much of a deterrent, as evident by the results of this exercise. Richburg is still well regarded around the league as an upper-echelon center. His projection at almost $8 million per season proves that. It’s why the Giants are expected to stick with Brett Jones, a restricted free agent available for them next year somewhere in the $2-3 million range depending on the tender they apply.
CB Ross Cockrell: 3-year deal worth $13 million ($5 million guaranteed)
This is an under-the-radar free-agent target who was described as one of the hardest workers on the team by one player. Cockrell quietly played well last season. His 11 passes defended led all Giants. The expectation is he gets a decent deal (slightly more than $4 million annually) even in what is expected to be a tough cornerback market.
QB Geno Smith: 1-year deal worth $2.5 million ($1.2 million guaranteed)
Not much has changed for Smith in the span of a year. His value remains the same after starting one game for the Giants. One person even projected him to receive a minimum salary benefit contract. The 27-year-old does have talent, though, and didn’t play poorly in his one start for the Giants.
G D.J. Fluker: 3-year deal worth $9 million ($4 million guaranteed)
The perception of Fluker apparently hasn’t changed much either despite his jump-starting the Giants’ run game. They averaged almost 25 yards more on the ground with him in the lineup. Even in an offensive-line-starved league, Fluker received a one-year, $3 million deal from the Giants last year. The expectation from this group of experts is that he will receive something in the same range this offseason. That’s good value if a team can acquire a potential starting lineman for that price.
DT Jay Bromley: 2-year deal worth $7.75 million ($3.25 million guaranteed)
Bromley never emerged as a full-time starter for the Giants. He served primarily as a rotational player on the defensive line. Apparently that may be worth $3-plus million per season on the open market.