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Giants GM Joe Schoen told reporters on Saturday that they will not exercise OL Evan Neal’s fifth-year option for the 2026 season. 

Indications have been that the Giants would decline to pick up Neal’s option, so this isn’t a big surprise. 

Neal also struggled with injuries and had a tough road back from one that ended his 2023 season. He appeared in just nine games last season and seven games in 2023.

Neal, 24, was a three-year starter at Alabama. He was a consensus First-Team All-American and a first-team All-SEC in 2021 before being selected as the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Giants.

He’s entering the final year of a four-year rookie contract worth $24.6 million, which includes a $15 million signing bonus and is also fully guaranteed. It includes a fifth-year option for the Giants to pick up for 2026.

In 2024, Neal appeared in nine games and started seven times at tackle. 

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