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New York Giants Release Offensive Lineman Kevin Zeitler

The Giants' release of offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler was expected and will save New York $12 million on their salary cap.

Patricia Traina

New York Giants Release Offensive Lineman Kevin Zeitler
New York Giants Release Offensive Lineman Kevin Zeitler /

The New York Giants announced they have released offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler in an expected move that opens up $12 million in cap space.

Zeitler, who turns 31 Monday, was acquired by the Giants in a trade with Cleveland for defensive end Olivier Vernon during the 2019 off-season.

Zeitler started all 31 games in which he played at right guard, including all 16 last year. He missed only the game against Miami on Dec. 15, 2019, because of an ankle injury, which ended his streak of 85 consecutive starts.

Although Zeitler was among the Giants' most consistent offensive linemen in each of his last two seasons with the team, his $14.5 million cap hit was too much to carry in a year that saw the NFL salary cap floor drop from $198.2 million to $182.5 million.

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Before the move, the Giants, per Over the Cap, were over their established cap by $7,936,006 after placing the franchise tag on defensive lineman Leonard Williams, restructuring tight end Levine Toilolo, and cutting linebacker David Mayo and receiver Golden Tate.

Although the move to shed Zeitler's contract dumps the remaining $2.5 million of his prorated signing bonus into the dead money ledger, the $12 million saved gives the Giants an estimated $4.063 million of breathing room under the current salary cap.

In comments made to the media Tuesday, General Manager Dave Gettleman said he felt very comfortable with the thought of younger offensive linemen stepping in for the aging veterans.

"In terms of where our offensive line is, they’re young and they’re talented. Things take time," Gettleman said.

"I said it earlier, things take time. We believe in these guys, they all came along, we finished the season fairly strong. We were 4-2 in our division and if you look at our division, all of those defensive lines that we play, all those fronts are big, powerful, athletic defensive lines and our guys held up. So, we’re getting there."

In other news, the Giants, as anticipated, were not among those teams awarded compensatory draft picks by the NFL.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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