Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The Giants have made it clear to teams around the NFL they are open for business, as they begin the process of rebuilding their overpriced and overrated roster. The belief around the league is they're willing to discuss anybody, and few players are safe.
Their plan, according to a team source, is to begin stockpiling draft picks, and to clear as much salary cap space as possible in exchange for any players they decide don't have a future with the team.
So how are they doing? Here's a look at the trades the Giants have made so far.
CB Eli Apple traded to New Orleans for a fourth- and a seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft.
Apple is a 23-year-old former first-round pick who plays a premium position, and will make only $2.5 million next year. That's not the description of a player most teams would want to give up.
But Apple hasn't quite been the same player since his rookie season, and he was a huge problem in the locker room last year, when family drama so overwhelmed him that S Landon Collins actually called him a "cancer". His attitude was better this year, according to a team source, but the Giants felt like there was no drop-off in the two games he missed this season.
In other words, he was expendable. Getting two picks is good, but a fourth-round pick feels low for a player with such a small contract.
Another bonus: The decision, due this May, of whether to pick up Apple's fifth-year option for 2020 isn't the Giants problem anymore.
DT Damon Harrison traded to Detroit for a fifth-round pick.
Harrison is one of the NFL's best run-stuffers, but he had become a part-time player in the Giants' defense, he turns 30 in November, and he still has two years and $16 million left on his contract. So yes, a fifth-round pick seems very low for a player of his ability, but given all that, the Giants weren't going to get a lot more.
Defensive tackles are also relatively easy to find, compared to other positions. It would be different if he were a pass-rushing force up the middle, but he's not. So, with the Giants loaded up front and able to replace Harrison with DT Dalvin Tomlinson, this seemed like an easy call, especially since they were able to clear $4.5 million cap space immediately off their books.