Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is set to make $20 million this season, but he has no guaranteed money left on his contract. That had Giants General Manager Joe Schoen facing some questions at the Scouting Combine about Lawrence’s future.
Schoen was surprised by those questions.
“I don’t know where this Dex stuff is coming from,” Schoen said multiple times, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
If the Giants did want to move on from Lawrence, they’d surely get some trade offers for a 28-year-old who started all 17 games last season. But head coach John Harbaugh indicated that the Giants see Lawrence as part of their future.
“How important is he? Really important. He’s super, super important,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a cornerstone football player, not really a cornerstone. He’s more like the middle stone. He’s right in the middle. He’s a very big stone and he’s a very active athletic stone. So we want him in there being a big stone.”
The Giants look like a rebuilding team, but Harbaugh has indicated he wants to win right away, and that he thinks Lawrence is a player who helps them win.
Giants Clips
Teams making decisions about picking up the fifth-year options on the contracts of their 2023 first-round picks now know how much that will cost.
The NFL revealed the values on Friday afternoon. There are four levels of compensation at each position. Players who have made multiple Pro Bowls as an original selection are at the top followed by players with one Pro Bowl selection and players who have hit playing time milestones before reaching the lowest level.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud were the first two picks of that draft and both of them reached the playing time level of compensation. That will leave them with fully guaranteed salaries of $25.904 million if the teams decide to exercise the options, but longer-term extensions are also a possibility now that they have finished their third seasons.
The full list of 2023 first-rounders — there were 31 that year because the Dolphins were stripped of their pick — and their fifth-year option salaries appears below:
1. Panthers QB Bryce Young — $25.904 million (playing time).
2. Texans QB C.J. Stroud — $25.904 million (playing time).
3. Texans DE Will Anderson — $21.512 (Pro Bowl).
4. Colts QB Anthony Richardson — $22.483 million (base).
5. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon — $21.161 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
6. Cardinals OT Paris Johnson — $19.072 million (playing time).
7. Raiders DE Tyree Wilson — $14.475 million (base).
8. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson — $11.323 million (Pro Bowl).
9. Eagles DT Jalen Carter — $27.127 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
10. Bears OT Darnell Wright — $19.072 million (playing time).
11. Titans OG Peter Skoronski — $19.072 million (playing time).
12. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs — $14.293 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
13. Packers DE Lukas Van Ness — $14.475 million (base).
14. Steelers OT Broderick Jones — $19.072 million (playing time).
15. Jets DE Will McDonald — $14.475 million (base).
16. Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes — $12.633 million (base).
17. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez — $18.119 million (Pro Bowl).
18. Lions LB Jack Campbell — $21.925 million (Pro Bowl).
19. Buccaneers DT Calijah Kancey — $15.451 (playing time).
20. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — $23.852 million (Pro Bowl).
21. Chargers WR Quentin Johnston — $18 million (playing time).
22. Ravens WR Zay Flowers — $27.298 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
23. Vikings WR Jordan Addison — $18 million (playing time).
24. Giants CB Deonte Banks — $12.633 million (base).
25. Bills TE Dalton Kincaid — $8.162 million (base).
26. Jets DT Mazi Smith — $13.391 million (base) Smith was traded to the Jets by the Cowboys.
27. Jaguars OT Anton Harrison — $19.072 million (playing time).
28. Bengals DE Myles Murphy — $14.475 million (base).
29. Saints DT Bryan Bresee — $13.391 million (base).
30. Eagles LB Nolan Smith — $13.752 million (base).
31. Chiefs Felix Anudike-Uzomah — $14.475 million (base).
Four weeks ago today, the latest release of the Epstein files implicated Giants co-owner Steve Tisch. Three days later, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL will “look at all the facts.”
Since then, the NFL has said nothing.
More facts have emerged, including reporting that contradicts Tisch’s claim of a “brief association” with Jeffrey Epstein and an item from The Athletic that characterizes Tisch’s behavior as a potential instance of quid pro quo sexual harassment.
Through it all, the league has referred reporters to Goodell’s comments from February 2. That’s the message the league recently repeated to Dan Wetzel of ESPN.com.
The league could be waiting for it to all blow over. Alternatively, the NFL could be hoping that the Tisch family will nudge Steve out of the spotlight as the representative of the folks who own the 45-percent share of the Giants.
Regardless, it’s not going away. As one high-level employee with another team told PFT on Friday, “Steve has to go.”
The league’s inaction makes even more clear the double standard between the Personal Conduct Policy that applies to owners and the one that applies to everyone else. Although the league claims owners are held to a higher standard, that rarely happens in practice. (For more, get yourself a copy of my 2022 book, Playmakers.)
Generally speaking, silence, inaction, and distraction have proven (so far) to be a useful strategy for more than a few of the men whose interactions with Epstein cry out for investigation and, possibly, consequences. Few seem to be buying the notion that it’s a hoax or a witch hunt or whatever other label would be used to dismiss something that should never be dismissed.
Whatever the outcome, the NFL must investigate Tisch. Until it does, it’s impossible for any league investigation of a player or any other non-owner to have a shred of credibility.
Kayvon Thibodeaux’s name started coming up in trade chatter after the Giants drafted Abdul Carter with the third overall pick last year and it hasn’t gone away early in this offseason.
Thibodeaux is heading into a contract year and adding Carter to an edge rushing mix that also includes Brian Burns makes it less likely that the Giants are going to make a long-term investment in Thibodeaux’s services. The prospect of trading Thibodeaux came up when General Manager Joe Schoen spoke to reporters at the Scouting Combine earlier this week.
“Right now, Kayvon’s going to be with us,” Schoen said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “He played well. He is going into his fifth year and he’s motivated and you can’t have enough pass rushers. You really can’t. So I’m proud of the development and the maturation of Kayvon and he’s come a long way. And I expect big things out of him next year with that rotation.”
Schoen added that “you take into consideration everything” that comes up in terms of calls from other teams and dealing Thibodeaux, who is set to make $14.75 million, would open significant cap space that the Giants could use to shore up weaker spots on their roster.
Giants co-owner Steve Tisch was implicated in the latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein emails. Tisch issued a statement on the day the emails surfaced. The Giants have otherwise been quiet about the situation.
On Tuesday, G.M. Joe Schoen met with reporters at the Scouting Combine. He was asked about Tisch.
“Steve released a statement a few weeks ago about the regrets, so I’m just going to leave it at that, and I’m not going to comment any more on that,” Schoen said, via Darryl Slater of NJ.com.
Said Tisch in his statement: “We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments.” The facts suggest the association was anything but brief.
Additional reporting from The Athletic raises the question of whether Tisch engaged in quid pro quo sexual harassment.
The league is not actively investigating Tisch, even if it should.
Obviously, Schoen and any other Giants employee is in a delicate spot. Tisch still owns 45 percent of the team. Until, however, the league fully and completely explores Tisch’s connection to Epstein and any related activities, it’s fair for the public-facing Giants employees to be asked about the matter.
When the Giants hired John Harbaugh as their head coach earlier this year, they changed one of the traditional modes of operation in the franchise by having Harbaugh report directly to ownership rather than to the General Manager.
There was further sign of Harbaugh’s outsize influence on the team’s direction when it was reported that the team’s new senior vice president of football operations and strategy Dawn Aponte will be reporting to Harbaugh. When the team hired Aponte, they said that her responsibilities will include being “responsible for strategic planning for football operations, analytics, salary cap management, player contract negotiations, compliance, and working closely with the college and pro personnel departments.”
Given those changes and Aponte’s job description, it is hard to avoid coming to the conclusion that GM Joe Schoen’s job has changed significantly from what it was in past years. Schoen pushed back at that notion during a press conference from the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, however.
“I’m still the General Manager of the team and my role has not changed. I’m still tasked with leading the entire football operation,” Schoen said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
Semantics may account for some of the mixed messages about how things will work for the Giants, but there seems to be little doubt that Harbaugh is now the biggest voice in the room on football matters.
The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2026 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted free agents and released players. The list will be updated as events warrant, with signings, tags and re-signings denoted when announced and/or reported. Players released after initial publication may be added and all 100 players initially on the list will still be listed after any additions.
1. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 27.)
2. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones.
3. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
4. Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd.
5. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
6. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 24.)
7. Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce.
8. Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson.
9. Jets running back Breece Hall.
10. Packers quarterback Malik Willis.
11. Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean.
12. Seahawks WR/KR/PR Rashid Shaheed.
13. Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker.
14. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker.
15. Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith.
16. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean.
17. Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe.
18. Packers linebacker Quay Walker.
19. Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal.
20. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans.
21. Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant.
22. 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
23. Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
24. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.
25. Broncos edge rusher John Franklin-Myers.
26. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
27. Eagles edge rusher Jaelen Phillips.
28. Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
29. Bills center Connor McGovern.
30. Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
31. Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.
32. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook.
33. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright.
34. Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa.
35. Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
36. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.
37. Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh.
38. Steelers offensive guard Isaac Seumalo.
39. Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader.
40. Browns linebacker Devin Bush.
41. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.
42. Rams safety Kamren Curl.
43. Bills offensive guard David Edwards.
44. Patriots edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson.
45. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
46. Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor.
47. Chargers offensive guard Zion Johnson.
48. Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio.
49. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.
50. Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone.
51. Panthers center Cade Mays.
52. Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack.
53. Bears safety Kevin Byard.
54. Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye.
55. Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss.
56. Ravens edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones.
57. Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller.
58. Lions edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad.
59. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.
60. Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.
61. Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
62. Cowboys edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
63. Saints linebacker Demario Davis.
64. Panthers running back Rico Dowdle.
65. Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie.
66. Titans offensive guard Kevin Zeitler.
67. Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins.
68. Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson.
69. Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton.
70. Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan.
71. Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe.
72. Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.
73. Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk.
74. Browns tight end David Njoku.
75. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
76. Giants offensive guard Greg Van Roten.
77. Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota.
78. Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown.
79. Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata.
80. Bucs linebacker Lavonte David.
81. Bengals guard Dalton Risner.
82. Vikings safety Harrison Smith.
83. Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.
84. Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
85. Jets safety Andre Cisco.
86. Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.
87. Packers edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare.
88. Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen.
89. Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas.
90. Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.
91. Titans tight end Chig Okonwko.
92. Eagles safety Reed Blankenship.
93. Raiders offensive guard Dylan Parham.
94. Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
95. Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton.
96. Broncos outside linebacker Justin Strnad.
97. Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco.
98. Colts cornerback Mike Hilton.
99. Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
100. Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier.
Bill Belichick falling short of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility was the biggest story to come out of this year’s voting, but former Giants quarterback Eli Manning also missed out on being elected for the second year in a row.
Manning’s two Super Bowl wins over Belichick’s Patriots are seen as a major plus for his candidacy while detractors have pointed to less stellar results over his entire career as the reason why Manning should not be enshrined. That view has won out thus far and Ben Roethlisberger, Rob Gronkowski, Adrian Peterson, and Richard Sherman are some of the notable additions to the ballot for 2027, so Manning’s status might not change the next time he comes before the selection committee.
Manning told former NFL head coach Jon Gruden on Gruden Goes Long that he isn’t making a big deal about the way the voting has played out so far.
“I think it’s one of those deals,” Manning said. “It doesn’t keep me up at night. I’m not going to be bitter at it. I’m not bitter at the game of football. I loved my teammates. I love the relationships, the friendships, the championships, the parades. When I think about football, I think about touchdowns and my buddies and wins and plane rides home. I don’t think about the interceptions. I don’t think about the bad stuff. I think about the positive things. If I ever get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I’ll take it as a positive and I’m not gonna think about the years I had to wait to get in.”
Manning has many years left on the modern-era ballot and his first two years of eligibility suggest that the merits of his case for inclusion will continue to be debated for some time.
The NFL isn’t the only entity that has a P.R. problem arising from the not-so-brief association between Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2012, Tufts University opened the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center, a 42,000-square-foot athletic facility.
Asked by Front Office Sports whether Tufts is considering renaming the building given Tisch’s ties to Epstein, the University said this: “The University is aware and monitoring the situation.”
It’s not a “no.” It’s also not a “yes.”
Like the NFL, Tufts could be waiting to see whether the storm subsides or intensifies. Already, however, there’s enough in the emails and reporting from The Athletic to suggest that Tisch may have been involved in quid pro quo sexual harassment of women who believed the film producer could assist their careers. And the emails between Tisch and Epstein paint a skeevy picture with which the NFL and Tufts will have to decide whether they’re comfortable.
The fact that both have done nothing shows they’re comfortable, for now. If/when they’re made to feel considerably less comfortable, they’ll possibly do more than watch and wait.
The Giants announced the addition of six more members of their football staff on Friday.
Director of high performance Sam Rosengarten is one of the additions and he joins head coach John Harbaugh in making the move from Baltimore to the Giants. Rosengarten spent nine seasons with the Ravens and, per the Giants, “oversaw player monitoring systems, training load management, recovery protocols, and performance analytics.”
The Giants also hired director of strength and conditioning Ron Shrift and assistant strength coach Brian Ellis away from the Ravens this offseason.
The other five new hires are football analysts Skyler Mornhinweg, Taylor Kolste, Patrick Moynahan, Kyrell Michael, and Bonner Bordelon.
