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The Giants wanted to bring Johnathan Hankins back and they did all the right things to try to make that happen. They made him a generous offer. They patiently waited for his response. They didn't seriously pursue other defensive tackles or (for the most part) publicly pressure him to take their deal. They let their offer sit there and gave him all the space he needed until he decided to make up his mind.

In the end, he found his riches elsewhere. They always knew that was the risk.

Free agent DT Johnathan Hankins has agreed to a four-year deal with the Colts worth $30 million, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Hankins, who visited with the Colts on Tuesday, will get $14.5 million guaranteed.

The Giants' offer to Hankins was for $28 million over four years, according to Paul Schwartz of the NY Post.

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The longer Johnathan Hankins remains unsigned, the more likely it seems that he'll return to the Giants. And if he does, credit the patient approach of GM Jerry Reese and his bosses. Because they read the market right, and played this perfectly.

They could've jumped to find a replacement for the 25-year-old Hankins, or tried to make him move by threatening to pull their offer. Instead they made him what a team source said they believe is a very fair, very lucrative multi-year offer before free agency began. Then they left it there on the table, convinced nobody would top it and that Hankins' agent, Kevin Poston, would badly overplay his hand.

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PHOENIX -- The New York Giants have an offer on the table for defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins that has been there since before free agency began. And even though Hankins is obviously holding out for more money, Giants co-owner Steve Tisch indicated the team doesn't plan to pull its offer any time soon.

"No one's panicking right now," Tisch said during a break in the NFL Owners Meetings at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. "There's time. And again, by nature I'm optimistic, so I think it's going to work out. … Let me rephrase that: I would very much like this to work out."

The optimism surely comes from the obvious: Hankins has not yet signed anywhere else, and the 24-year-old defensive tackle likely isn't going to get a significantly better offer three weeks into the free-agent signing period. An NFL source told SNY that Hankins was looking for at least what the Giants gave Damon Harrison last offseason -- a five-year, $46.25 million contract with $24 million guaranteed.

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When the NFL free-agent signing period began, almost everyone assumed that Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins was about to strike it rich. The only question seemed to be how close he'd get to the five-year, $46.25 million contract the Giants gave defensive tackle Damon Harrison last season, or whether he had a shot to exceed it.

A bit over a week after the market opened, though, the 24-year-old Hankins remains unsigned and the market for defensive tackles has collapsed around him. So now, as free-agency begins its second, far-less-lucrative wave, the big, unanswered question about Hankins is this:

What the heck happened?

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The Giants don't have a ton of salary cap room. In fact, at the moment they really don't have any. So even if they make some cuts or restructure some contracts, they're likely to shop mostly in free agency's bargain bin.

The thing about the bargain bin, though, is that you can sometimes find real bargains -- valuable players that can actually help, for a price that is pretty low. So here are five still-available players the Giants might want to consider -- if, of course, their price is right:

RB LeGarrette Blount (Patriots) - He's 30 years old and his body has taken a beating over the years, so even though he's coming off his first 1,000-yard season since 2010 (1,161 yards), no one thinks he's a No. 1 back anymore. What he is is a 250-pound battering ram and a terrific goal-line back who had 18 touchdowns last season. The Giants, who have been a disaster in goal-line and short-yardage rushing in recent years, sure could use that kind of power in the backfield, and he could be the ideal complement to the smaller, speedier, shiftier, Paul Perkins...

The Giants got a big jump on their offseason business when they slapped the "franchise tag" on Jason Pierre-Paul on Monday, but that's likely to only be the start. They have a lot more work to do as they try to load up for one more Eli Manning-led Super Bowl run.

The NFL scouting combine gives them their first look at who they might draft with the 23^rd overall pick, though there are many other things they can accomplish at what is essentially the NFL's annual convention this week. They have some of their own players to try to take care of before the start of free agency, so they can have the salary cap space to get some of the offensive help they need.

So, with Giants coach Ben McAdoo set to talk to the media on Wednesday - and with GM Jerry Reese declining to speak at the combine this year, for the first time since he took over in 2007 - here are five questions the Giants are going to be trying to answer this week:

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

The New York Giants want to keep their rejuvenated defense together, and they're willing to pay the price to do it. They proved that on Tuesday when they officially slapped the franchise tag on DE Jason Pierre-Paul.

That move all but guarantees the 28-year-old defensive end will play at least one more season with the Giants, though both sides seem to be hoping they'll soon strike a long-term deal that will keep him with the Giants for much longer. The tag, which is expected to be worth more than $17 million, will become official on Tuesday, an NFL source confirmed. But the source added the two sides will likely continue to talk in the hopes of agreeing to a new contract before free agency opens on March 9.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

The New York Giants' decision to use their franchise tag on Jason Pierre-Paul probably won't sit well with either him or his agent. Pierre-Paul didn't want it. And if he doesn't end up with a long-term contract, he surely won't be happy.

The decision also tied up a dangerous amount of cap space into one position on the Giants' roster. They currently have $44 million (26 percent) tied up in three-fourths of their defensive line, with the fourth member (Johnathan Hankins) looking to cash in for himself when free agency starts.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

If Jason Pierre-Paul doesn't sign a long-term contract before the start of the free-agent signing period on March 9, he will count for approximately $17 million against the New York Giants' salary cap. That would be more than 10 percent of the projected $168 million cap, and the second-highest number on the team.

It would also mean the Giants will have $33 million in cap space (or about 20 percent of the projected cap) tied up in their two starting defensive ends, and a total of about $44 million (26 percent) tied up in three-fourths of their defensive line -- with the fourth member (defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins) looking to cash in for himself when free agency starts.

The Giants are still projected to have around $15-17 million to spend in free agency, assuming the cap is set at $168 million. They can also clear more room by cutting some players in the next 10 days or restructuring some of their biggest deals.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

There was a time when the Giants didn't value defensive tackles nearly as much as they do defensive ends. They wanted a rotation of outside pass rushers and they were willing to spend money and picks to get it. Inside, they were content with a bunch of big bodies clogging up the running lanes - preferably players they developed themselves.

Of course, that hasn't been the same since Jerry Reese took over as general manager. He once made a big offer to Albert Haynesworth in 2009 and he pondered a big-money run at Ndamukong Suh in 2015. Five times in his 10 drafts he's taken a defensive tackle in the first three rounds. And last March he gave Damon Harrison a five-year, $46.25 million contract with $24 million guaranteed.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Adrian Peterson sent the hearts of Giants fans fluttering earlier this month when he sent out the Tweet heard 'round the tri-state area. "The Giants been making some interesting moves," he wrote. And all of a sudden, many pictured him running through the Meadowlands, wearing blue.

Even though Peterson is suddenly available, and even if he's willing to come to the Giants at a reasonable price, is it smart for a Giants team with so many needs to invest anything at all in a soon-to-be 32-year-old back who played all of three games last season (and rushed just 37 times for 72 yards) because he needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee?

Yes, the Giants are going to try desperately to win another Super Bowl in the next three years before Eli Manning's contract expires. And yes, their running game last season was a mess. But that had as much to do -- and maybe more to do -- with their poor offensive line than with the play of their running backs.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

Each week, SNY will put a current player, a position, or perhaps a draft or free agent target of the Giants in the spotlight as part of our regular offseason coverage. This week we begin with the intriguing figure that may hold the key to all of the Giants' offseason plans:

DE Jason Pierre-Paul.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Rebuilding the New York Giants' defense cost them a ton of money last offseason, and keeping it from falling apart again might cost a little more.

But it's the price they have to pay if they want to win another championship in the Eli Manning era. And that's why between now and the start of free agency in March, the Giants have to do their best to re-sign Johnathan Hankins and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Even after an 11-5 season there are so many questions about the Giants and their offseason plans that I had to split them into several SNY Twitter mailbags. Part I ran on Wednesday. Part II ran on Thursday.

Here, as promised, is Part III … with a IVth still to come:

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Even though the Giants are coming off their most successful regular season since 2008 and their first playoff berth since 2011, their season-ending, 38-13 loss in Green Bay in the wild-card round left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. It also left the Giants heading into the offseason with plenty of difficult questions.

You asked them, so I'll answer as many as I can in four installments of the first offseason edition of my SNY Giants Twitter mailbag. Here is Part I:

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

The Giants could have somewhere near $40 million in salary cap space to play with this offseason if the cap rises all the way to $168 million, as some in the NFL project. They might even end up with more, depending on what contracts they restructure and which players they decide to cut.

And while that may not be enough to turn them into big spenders in free agency the way they were a year ago, it certainly is enough for them to re-sign some of their own unrestricted free agents. They have 17 UFAs to deal with, and several other free agents who are restricted. And a few of them could demand and command big money from someone -- particularly the two free agents on the Giants' defensive line.

Giants GM Jerry Reese discussed a variety of topics while speaking with reporters Monday.

The highlights...

• Odell Beckham, Jr. needs to "think about what he does," look in the mirror and take responsibility for his actions. "He's a smart guy but sometimes he doesn't do smart things."
• The team is doing its own investigation into the allegations that Beckham punched a hole in the Lambeau Field wall after Sunday's loss.

Quarterback Eli Manning was reportedly among three New York Giants players who were subjected to drug tests following Sunday's season-ending 38-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Manning, defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins and safety Andrew Adams each reported for testing by submitting a urine sample to NFL drug testers once the game ended, according to NJ.com's Dan Duggan.

In his first playoff game in five years, Manning completed 23 of 44 passes, throwing for 299 yards, one touchdown, one interception and one fumble in the game. Hankins recorded three total tackles and a sack, while Adams.did not record a tackle.

John Fennelly, SNY.TV

As last season drew to an end, the Giants were facing another football-less January. They finished 6-10 for the second straight time and missed the playoffs for the fourth consectutive season.

The defense, decimated by injuries, was the league's worst and not befitting of wearing the Giants' vaunted blue.
Ownership had head coach Tom Coughlin fall on his sword rather than fire him and decided to give GM Jerry Reese one final chance to get his roster right -- starting with the defense.

Reese responded by getting aggressive in free agency, re-signing DE Jason Pierre-Paul and then the top DT, DE and CB available in Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon, and Janoris Jenkins respectively. He also inked veteran LBs Keenan Robinson and Kelvin Sheppard. In the draft, he landed Ohio State CB Eli Apple in the first round and took safety Damian Thompson of Boise State in Round Three.

The following players appeared on the Giants' injury report on Friday...

Did not participate in practice:

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)

The following players appeared on the Giants' injury report on Thursday...

Did not participate in practice:

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• LB Keenan Robinson (shoulder)

Limited participation in practice:

The following players appeared on the Giants' injury report on Wednesday...

Did not participate in practice:

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• LB Keenan Robinson (shoulder)

Limited participation in practice:

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

The following players will be OUT for Sunday night's game against the Cowboys

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)

The Giants released their injury report on Thursday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• TE Larry Donnell (illness)

The Giants released their injury report on Wednesday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• DT Johnathan Hankins (thigh)
• WR Dwayne Harris (wrist)

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul recorded three sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown to help lead the Giants to their sixth straight win with a 27-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

There's a difference between the pretenders and the contenders in the NFL. The pretenders tease their fans with weekly dalliances with victory while the contenders find ways to close out opponents and seal those victories. As much as the 2015 Giants were pretenders, the 2016 Giants have taken on the identity of contenders.

The transformation began at the end of last season, a year in which the Giants saw six fourth quarter leads evaporate en route to a 6-10 finish. The defense was decimated by injuries and could not log in 60 full minutes of work and the letdowns were of historic proportions. The mandate from ownership was to fix the defense.

Ralph Vacchiano, NFL Insider | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

At halftime, when the Giants were beginning to show signs of struggle, Ben McAdoo talked to his players about giving a "championship effort" in the second half. His point was to get them to play harder and better.

But they also went out and showed how championship teams are made.

The Giants allowed 420.3 yards and 27.6 points per game in 2015. This past offseason, they spent wildly to upgrade at all positions and thus far, the strategy is working.This season, they are holding teams to 361 yards and 20 points per game. They are playing better defense in the fourth quarter, allowing six points opposed to a league-high 8.8 in 2015.Their second-half defensive numbers are also much improved, with them allowing just 8.9 point. Last season, they averaged 14.1 points allowed in the second half.

John Fennelly, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | | Archive Posts

The Giants' defense has turned over a new leaf this season, playing stout against the run and holding their own in the trenches. A big reason for the improvement is the addition of free agent DT Damon Harrison, who came as advertised from the Jets as a big-bodied space-eater.

He is currently third on the club in tackles (19), behind LB Jonathan Casillas (26) and S Landon Collins (20).

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Justin Pugh was right when he said "Everything you can do to lose a game today, we did." And the Giants (2-1) certainly did lose it. They were in control at the start before a plague of penalties and turnovers helped them throw their game against the Redskins (1-2) away.

And that could be costly because not only did it knock them out of first place in the NFC East -- behind the stunning, 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles -- but it robbed them of their momentum and blew a chance to really bury the defending division champions. In what is still basically a rebuilding season, every positive step matters.

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The last time the Giants started 2-0 was in 2009. They actually started 5-0 that season. Then they finished 8-8. So the lesson is that it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

But to the Giants, after too many years of misery, a 2-0 start sure feels pretty good.

The 53-man roster is set (for now), and the New York Giants believe they will be back on the road to success after missing the postseason the past four years. Their roster has been upgraded in many key areas, with the exception of the offensive line and a blocking tight end.

But who will be the stars and the face of this club in 2016? It's clear QB Eli Manning and WR Odell Beckham Jr. will be among the top players in the league at their positions, but who else will garner Pro Bowl interest this year?

On offense, no one can possibly expect any of the linemen to get any type of recognition. Center Weston Richburg is considered one of the best players at his position, but the negative advance reviews on the Giants' offensive line is going to hurt his chances. The rest of the group has either struggled or was injured this summer, so the offense would have to play lights out for them to get any consideration.

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On the first day of his first training camp, Ben McAdoo didn't shy away from his own high expectations. Despite taking over a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2011, he insisted "Our goal is still to put the fifth trophy in the case."

He wasn't talking about sometime in the future, either. The Giants entered camp believing they have a roster to make a run now.

The Giants' defense suffered a big blow last season when DT Johnathan Hankins was lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle in the team's Week 9 victory over the Buccanneers in Tampa Bay. It was the only game he and the returning DE Jason Pierre-Paul would play alongside each other last year.

This summer, Big Hank, as Hankins is known, will have the benefit of opening the season lined up with not only JPP but with two other stars - DT Damon Harrison, known as Snacks, and DE Olivier Vernon, who is called "OV" by his teammates.

"It feels good with Snacks and OV. Sometimes I try not to think about it too much or even talk about it because I don't want to jinx myself," Hankins told reporters when asked how good the Giants' front four can be this season. "On paper we look really good and the past few days we have been together, we have been doing pretty good against the offense. If we continue to build on that, I feel like we can be one of the best defensive lines."

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This wasn't the full-pads practice we were promised. Instead the Giants were in shoulder pads and, mostly, in shorts. But there was still a little more hitting than usual. And thankfully, nobody got hurt.

So what did happen at practice? Earlier, I gave you three things to watch. Well, I watched, and here's what I learned.

Ralph Vacchiano, NFL Insider | Facebook | Twitter

Ben McAdoo survived his first three days of training camp without any major disasters - although the injury to Odell Beckham certainly gave him quite a scare. It turns out Beckham was only "cleated" during his collision with Janoris Jenkins on Sunday. Jenkins, the Giants' $62.5 million cornerback, was apparently OK, too.

So now that everyone in the Giants organization is breathing a sigh of relief, what's next for McAdoo? He opens his first full week of training camp on Tuesday morning with the first full-pads practice of his tenure. Here are three things to watch throughout the day:

Training camp is just days away and readers and fans are beginning to get back into football mode. Over the past few weeks, we have gotten several questions and inquiries regarding the upcoming camp and preseason.

There's a lot of talk the Giants will part ways with several veterans this summer. Who right now is on the roster bubble?

It may be too early to tell, but from where I sit, there won't be many surprises. On offense, the main roster battles will be at running back and possibly at right tackle. With the addition of rookie Paul Perkins and free agent Bobby Rainey, Andre Williams will have to have a stellar camp to remain with the team.

Marshall Newhouse is the current starter at right tackle. His main competition will be second-year player Bobby Hart now that free agent Eugene Monroe decided to retire. The Giants say they are comfortable with Newhouse, but are not deep along the offensive line in general, so if anything, they could be adding, not subtracting, in this unit.

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Qualifying for the playoffs in the NFL usually comes down to one or two games in the standings. In many cases, it's not how many games you win, but which games you win. There are tiebreakers that go past head-to-head record, such as division and conference records and the record vs common opponents.

In general, the objective is to win your division to avoid the mad scramble for the wild card spots. Last year, the Washington Redskins (9-7) won the NFC East and were the division's lone entrant in the postseason. The Giants finished at 6-10 but could have challenged had they been able to hold on to a few of the five fourth quarter leads they squandered in 2015.

Every NFL offseason, fans and pundits put together their list of "needs" teams need to address for the upcoming season. What is usually not taken into account are the players already on the roster who have not gotten a legitimate chance to display their wares. One of those players for the Giants is Owa Odighizuwa.

The Giants came into this offseason needing a facelift on the defensive line. That augmentation came in the form of DE Olivier Vernon and DT Damon Harrison, the top two players available at their respective positions in free agency.

Yes, it was necessary to spend nearly $120 million on those two players. No one is arguing that. They also needed to re-sign DE Jason Pierre-Paul, who is expected to be much-improved over last season, when he played just eight games with his right hand barely functional after his fireworks mishap.

Odell Beckham:

On Sterling Shepard: "He's going to be a phenomenal player"

On the off-field gossip: "A lot of that stuff is not so much true. It comes with the territory."

The Giants had a banner offseason, signing big-ticket free agents and drafting six versatile and explosive players --three on each side of the ball -- who promise to add speed and depth to their sagging roster.

They came into the offseason with a long "to-do" list and an ultimatum from ownership to improve the roster with focus on the defensive side of the ball. They did that, for the most part.

The goals in improving the defense this offseason were very clear: get better at every position. They made some bold strokes and spent a small fortune in the process.

After rookie minicamp is in the books, the Giants are preparing to move into phase three of their offseason program and will begin organized team activities on May 27.

It will be the first time the rookies and the veterans will take the field as a team. The 10 OTA offseason workouts will be held on May 27-29, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-9 and June 11-12. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.

Mandatory Minicamp will be held from June 16-18. Training camp begins the last week of July.

New York Giants DT Johnathan Hankins, entering his fourth season with the club, declared himself healthy to reporters at the the team's first day of offseason workouts.

Hankins tore a pec muscle in the Giants' Week 9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, and the team's defense, already teetering on disaster, went right down the tubes, even with DE Jason Pierre-Paul returning that same game.

"I'm here and everything," Hankins said when asked how his rehab was going and if he would be participating in full this spring. "I'm pretty much fully healthy and a full-go, so everything is going pretty good. Yes, I will be in there fully."

The Giants have been drafting their future leaders over the past few seasons in players such as Devon Kennard, Nat Berhe, Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg and Odell Beckham Jr. That is the young core the Giants are counting on to be the glue between the veterans and the new players they picked up in free agency, as well as the rookies they will draft next month.

Kennard, an outside linebacker with a load of talent, has not been able to stay on the field in his first two seasons. In order for him to lead, he's got to stay healthy. When he's out there, the Giants' defense has some semblance of order. But until his health is evident, the Giants might lean on free agent signee Keenan Robinson, who will play MLB and likely don the headset on defense.

Berhe has a similar issue. He sat behind Antrel Rolle at safety two years ago and missed all of last season with a calf injury. As Deion Sanders once said, "You can't help the club from the tub." No truer words were spoken when it comes to Kennard and Berhe. They were both considered late-round steals when drafted, and the Giants still believe that to be the case. GM Jerry Reese described both players as leader-types, and he's going to let this play out.

The New York Giants are making a run at defensive tackle Damon Harrison, who played for the Jets last season, according to NJ.com's Jordan Raanan.

The Giants expect to bring back defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul after reportedly losing out on defensive end Mario Williams, but are not done bolstering their defensive line with Harrison, who recorded 72 combined tackles, half a sack and one forced fumble last season.

While the Jets are expected to make a competitive offer to keep Harrison, who has played 53 games since joining the Jets in 2012, his price tag may be too high.

With 14 games in the books, this year's version of the New York Giants has provided its fans with a season chock full of excitement and disappointment at the same time. For purists, it has been the most frustrating season they have ever seen.

The Giants' loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday was their sixth defeat this season after they were leading or tied with fewer than 2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most such games they've had in one season since the 1970 merger.

Those six losses were by a total of 15 points. Two of those losses were to potential top seeds in the AFC and NFC. They lost to New England by one point with 1 second remaining, and to Carolina by three points as time expired.

The Giants officially announced they have signed DT Barry Cofield to stabilize the interior of the their defensive line.

Cofield was the Giants' fourth-round pick out of Northwestern in 2006 and was a starter on the defensive line until 2010. He left the club in 2011 via free agency, signing with the Washington Redskins, who released him this past February after he missed eight games with ankle injury.

Cofield, 31, had hip, ankle and abdomen issues this year and attracted little interest until the Giants came calling. The defensive line has taken some major hits this season, most notably with Jon Hankins, and now Markus Kuhn's status is in question with a knee injury.