The New York Giants, who were listed in last place with minus $9.591 million in cap space per Over the Cap, have restructured left tackle Andrew Thomas’s contract to open up $12.2 million in cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
The Giants are now under the league cap by approximately $2.609 million, with another restructuring of a different player contract likely on deck to give the team further breathing room to get through the season.
Thomas was due to earn a fully guaranteed base salary of $16.4 million before the restructure. He also stood to earn approximately $58,823 per game, up to $1 million for the season, for each week he's on the active roster. His total cap hit, before the restructure, came in at $21.087 million, the second highest on the team behind defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II.
Thomas's current deal runs through 2029. Before the restructure, his prorated money had run out in 2028, the total being just $835,000 against the 2028 cap.
With the restructure, which can be prorated up to five years or the remaining life of the contract, whichever is longer, Thomas will now have prorated money in 2029, counting against the Giants' books.
If Thomas, whose status for the Week 1 opener is in question, doesn’t play Sunday, the Giants get a credit for that $58,823 per game to their cap. That credit would likely offset any costs involved in standard practice squad elevations.
Other contracts the Giants could potentially adjust to gain more cap space include guard Jon Runyan Jr ($9 million base), tight end Daniel Bellinger ($3.406 million base), defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches ($3.65 million base), and kicker Graham Gano ($4.415 million base).
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