Six Players Who Might Not Be Giants in 2026

Okereke was brought in to be the solidifying force in the middle in 2023, and he did just that. Over the past two seasons, he has been blamed for a lot of the problems with the run defense, which was atrocious.

Yes, he still has a lot of fight in him, but he also has a nearly $14 million cap hit.

It will be difficult for the front office to convince him to take a pay cut, so if they do ask him and he refuses, the next step could be to part ways and save $9 million.

There are some great linebacker talents in the draft that they may be looking to target if they do, in fact, move on from the team captain. 

RB Devin Singletary -- Cap Savings: ~$5,250,000

The problem with Singletary is not his performance in 2025; he ran the ball well, was effective in pass protection, and caught the football out of the backfield. He has been a quality member of the offense.

The issue Singletary faces is that the Giants already have two younger, cheaper, more productive options on the roster to use. Tyrone Tracy Jr. will be going into year three, and Cam Skattebo, a Big Blue Nation favorite, will be back from injury.

If the Giants release Singletary, they will save over $5 million in cap space. This seems like a no-brainer. 

K Graham Gano -- Cap Savings: ~$4,500,000

It has been one heck of a run for Graham Gano as the Giants' kicker, but Father Time is undefeated.

It has become evident that the Giants can't rely on Gano to stay healthy. His injuries once again put the Giants in a bad spot, and they need to go out and find a younger, high-quality kicker to take over the job going forward.

The Giants can not go into the 2026 season like this, so expect them to move on and grab a young kicker with a thunderbolt in his leg and save nearly five million dollars in the process. 

OT James Hudson III -- Cap Savings: ~$5,400,000

Hudson was supposed to be a quality veteran depth piece for the Giants, who needed a tackle to fill in while Andrew Thomas missed time at the beginning of the year while coming back from injury.

While Hudson held up well in the preseason, once the regular season began, he was a complete mess. In his first game against the Cowboys, he was penalized frequently and was eventually pulled from the game in favor of the rookie Marcus Mbow.

That was essentially the last time we needed to pay attention to Hudson. His $5.4 million should be put to good use. 

WR Jalin Hyatt -- Cap Savings: ~$1,520,000

This is not so much about saving as about Hyatt's lack of production. The promise that flashed at times during his rookie season never materialized into anything more than hope.

At this point, with a new regime, it may just be time to part ways and let Hyatt try to figure it out with another team. That $1.5 million could be a really good special-teams piece or help offset rookie costs.

With Nabers and Slayton entrenched in their contracts and Robinson a priority, Hyatt does not seem to have a role to fill here. It's time for a clean slate. 

Honorable Mention: OG Jon Runyan Jr. -- Cap Savings: ~$9,250,000

Runyan is the wild card in this talk of cap space and guys who could be gone in 2026.

Has he been a solid performer over the past two seasons? Absolutely!

Is he worth an almost $12 million cap hit in 2026? As difficult as it may be for some to say, absolutely not!

There are players the Giants could bring in that would garner similar results for far less money.

They could also decide to draft a guard in a rich offensive line draft. If the team really wants to signal change, this could be a major statement.