By Michael Stewart
Introduction: Thus far during his 1st full season as the Giants GM Dave Gettleman has done a great job re-structuring the Giants roster and adding more talent and depth. However; Gettleman’s greatest accomplishment will be to re-sign both Landon Collins and Odell Beckham Jr. to long term contracts and keep both in a Giants uniform for many years to come. This will not be an easy task as the Giants currently have roughly $7.2M in cap space available entering the 2018 season. An argument can be made for both players and the value to the Giants and Gettleman can be creative get both signed, but here’s the catch: He doesn’t need to re-sign both this year.
Gettleman has a history of having a hard stand on free agent stars during negotiations (Josh Norman & Steve Smith), so expect the same here with both Collins and Beckham. Gettleman could re-sign one and franchise the other or re-sign both or not re-sign either, so a lot of his decision could boil down to what transpires in the 2018 season for both players. Below is a brief poll and pro and cons for each player to be re-sign or not:
Poll: Who should the Giants re-sign:
- Landon Collins: 46%
- Both Collins & Beckham: 31%
- Odell Beckham Jr.: 16%
- Neither: 7%
Why or why not Beckham?
Pros
- Highly productive, a game changer
- Makes other players around him better
- Giants offense dropped when he was out
- Multiple Pro Bowl selections
Cons
- Off the field issues
- On the field antics
- Wants to be the highest paid WR in the NFL
Why or why not Collins?
Pros
- High Leadership qualities
- Multiple Pro Bowl selections
- No character flaws
- No off the field distractions
Cons
- None
Final Thoughts: Based on the poll and evaluating the Pros and Cons of each player, it would suggest that the Giants would be wise to extend a contract to Landon Collins first before the end of this season and address Beckham after the season either by extending a contract, franchise tag or possibly trading him; which they reportedly tried to do before the draft. Keep in mind that the Giants will have contracts from current players who will not have guaranteed money in 2019 such as: Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins, Damon Harrison and Rhett Ellison. So it’s quite possible that three of the four or all four mentioned above could be released before the 2019 season, freeing up cap space to re-sign Beckham. GM Dave Gettleman will have a lot of tough decisions to make over the next year and half; which could determine the Giants success or lack of based the outcome.