ClutchPoints
In what will undoubtedly be the most important offseason of his career, Joe Schoen has a lot of work to do with the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL offseason. While the Giants enter the offseason with a focus on the 2025 Draft, they continue to be involved in trade and free agency rumors that could also involve cutting loose dead weight.
With a multitude of changes on the horizon, the Giants have yet to indicate a targeted direction for the 2025 NFL offseason. The team’s focus is centered around its future at quarterback, with none currently on the roster through March. Schoen and Brian Daboll continue to scour the available draft prospects while quietly examining the free agency and trade market with neither option seeming more likely than the other.
Following the release of Daniel Jones, the Giants have a fair amount of cap space to work with. They are projected to have roughly $40 million of space, placing them near the middle of the league. However, they can — and likely will – create more flexibility by releasing a few lackluster names from their roster.
Given the current roster, obvious names like renowned bust Evan Neal stick out as potential cut candidates. But with the state they are currently in, even a franchise veteran and team captain such as Graham Gano cannot yet consider his job safe. The most likely contenders, however, include a handful of names most Giants fans will not miss on the field.
During his three-year career in New York, Neal has created a substantial amount of viral clips. Unfortunately, none of them were for positive reasons. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued his career to the point of nearly shredding every inch of hope fans have in him despite still being on a rookie contract.
Following Jones’ release, Neal became the Giants’ eighth highest-paid player, including the third-highest offensive lineman. As a former top-10 pick, his contract is worth over $24.5 million across four years with a team option for a fifth. At the rate he is currently producing, not only would Schoen be crazy to exercise a fifth year, but Neal might not even see his contract last through 2025. There is still hope for improvement, but given his rough start, the best situation for him might be anywhere other than New York.
After being benched in his third year, Neal was given one last shot to prove himself as a starter in the NFL with star left tackle Andrew Thomas landing on injured reserve. Instead, he received a 61.2 player grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking near the middle of the pack among eligible tackles. To his credit, that is a significant improvement from his 2023 campaign, in which he received the second-lowest grade in the league. It just is not enough to justify his current salary. If the Giants look to make cuts over the 2025 NFL offseason, Neal’s name will be at the top of the...
