Giants offseason checklist: Take a quarterback, lose the kicker

With the new league year kicking off March 12, NFL teams are already deep into planning for the offseason.

Here are five moves the New York Giants should make in the coming months.

1. Find a franchise QB

If the Giants have to trade future picks to get Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, so be it. New York holds the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft but must be wary of quarterback-needy teams trading up for either player.

At the moment, Tommy DeVito, an exclusive-rights free agent, is the only quarterback with ties to the team. If New York thought it was a quarterback away from playoff contention, a free agent like Sam Darnold, or a trade for L.A.’s Matthew Stafford, would make sense but the 3-14 Giants are years away from postseason play.

2. Cut K Graham Gano

When healthy, the 15-year veteran is one of the best kickers in football but groin and hamstring injuries limited Gano to 18 games over the past two seasons. In terms of average salary, he’s currently the sixth-highest paid kicker in football, a luxury for a last-place team like the Giants.

By designating Gano as a post-June 1 release, New York can save $4.4M against the salary cap and put that money towards more critical positions.

3. Pick up LB Kayvon Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option

New York took the 6-foot-5, 258-pound linebacker fifth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and he’s made 127 tackles and 21 sacks in 43 games since. Not exactly Pro Bowl numbers, but certainly good enough to pick up his option for 2026.