New York Giants Mailbag: Cap Question, Personnel Needs, and More

Let's check in with the readers to see what's on their minds this week.

New York Giants Mailbag / Patricia Traina | New York Giants on SI

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We have a small mailbag this week, so let's get right to it. And if you have time, be sure to check out the video above in which we name the all-time Giants Super Bowl team.

Will seventh draft picks be enough for the Giants for this year’s draft? Or might they maneuver around to acquire more draft capital?#AskPTrain

— Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 🌴 (@MrEd315) February 6, 2025

Ed, free agency will give us some clues as to what they might do in the draft, and if they do maneuver to get more draft capital it could also be for 2026.

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#askptrain How do the Eagles void year contracts work? Are they going to have huge cap hits in the future? Should the Giants use more of these to help manage the cap?

— Kris Kauffeld (@dublk52) February 7, 2025

What's up, Kris? The Eagles don’t do anything special with their void years, as far as I can see, but they do use the tactic (which any team can use) a lot. 

Basically, here’s what happens: A player signs a five-year contract, during which they get three years of actual money and two void years. 

This allows the team to spread the signing bonus across five years, which is the maximum length the prorated signing bonus can be spread.  

So, when the final two years are voided, the money accelerates into the current year's cap as dead money. 

The idea behind it is that the cap will go up anyway, plus there is usually carryover so that puts the team in a good position to absorb the dead money. 

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Bless me, Patty, for I have sinned. I confess that during the playoffs I have committed sacrilege by rooting for the Eagles because of Saquon.

What’s my penance? Am I excommunicated from going to a Giants game?

Light a candle for me.

— Nick Harlow (@AuthorHarlow) February 7, 2025

Ah, Nick. Look, who am I to insist that you revoke your Giants fan card? But a piece of advice: Don't spread what you've been up to to everyone. Some might not be as forgiving as your friendly beat reporter.

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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why didn't the Giants draft Bo Nix last year? He was there for the taking? – Ted J.

What’s good, Ted? The answer is simple enough and applies to why they didn’t draft J.J. McCarthy or any of the other quarterbacks in the first round: they didn’t have a high enough grade to select them at six. 

We saw on Hard Knocks how Joe Schoen confirmed with ownership, head coach Brian Daboll, and his top lieutenants that if they couldn’t get Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels, they’d pivot to receiver, which is what they did.

I think the question I would still like answered is why not take a flier on Spencer Rattler on Day 3. I know the answer still applies, that they didn’t have a high enough grade on him, but to not take a flier on a quarterback, even after the draft, was, in my opinion, malpractice, given the depth of that class. 

You have a “quarterbacks guru” in Brian Daboll. You mean to tell me that there was no one, even among the undrafted free agents, that could at least try to develop?

QB or not QB? That is the question for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll in this year's draft. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

If one of the top two QBs falls to the Giants, this should be the year the Giants trade down slightly with the Raiders or Jets IF either team wants to trade. Giants get their 1st and 2nd this year, a 1st or 2nd next.

The Giants can work on their weaknesses on defense with either a CB or DT at # 1. They would have two high # 2's, 34 (theirs) and 37 or 42.

They could grab QB Milroe or Dart, and the position not taken between CB or DT with their choices in the 2nd. OT or S in the 3rd, where they will pick first in the 3rd. A fix for their future with a wise trade if a QB drops and they can find a suitor. Any thoughts? – Joe G.

Hi Joe. I’ll just leave this right here for you as I think it will answer your question.   

Sam Darnold found success with the Vikings as a retreadquarterback. / Joseph Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why didn't the Giants fire everyone? All NFL teams have new quarterbacks. Go and get a top rookie; we don't need a veteran. – Leon M.

Leon, I get it you’re unhappy with how the team has played lately (as am I), but let’s catch our breath here and look at this rationally.  In the history of mankind, it has yet to do anyone who acts irrationally and driven by emotion any good. Firing everyone would have meant starting over.

Take a step back and look at the big picture. The draft class was solid. Brian Burns was a hit. Yes, they screwed up on the quarterback, and they doubled down on mistakes, but with everyone having been granted a grace period, I don’t think they’re going to be as big of risk-takers in what could be their final season if they don’t get this right.

And I 100% disagree with you about not needing a veteran quarterback. Look at how many “top rookie prospects” never live up to their billing. You get a guy in here who can win you some games while the kid acclimates and who can show the kid the ropes. 

And last I checked, the entire NFL doesn’t have new quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield,  Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers are retreads. Three of them got their teams to the postseason. So, let’s toss that notion that a team doesn’t need a veteran in the rubbish bin because every team has a veteran on its roster.

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