The first week of Giants training camp included much conversation about “the core,’’ triggered by the news on Day 1 that Andrew Thomas was locked into a new contract that runs through the 2029 season.
Think about that. The 2023 season remains more than a month away from kicking off, and the Giants know they have their left tackle secured for seven more seasons. Seven!
The Giants organization nowadays prides itself on this moment, on today. Ask head coach Brian Daboll a question with even a hint of forward projection, and he will come back at you with his hope that the morning walk-through goes smoothly. But behind the scenes, of course, there must be planning for the days and seasons ahead.
Daniel Jones is contractually bound through the 2026 season. Dexter Lawrence is locked in through the 2027 season. That is a quarterback, defensive tackle and, with Thomas, an offensive tackle going nowhere. General manager Joe Schoen made the recommendations and the Giants wrote deals totaling $367.5 million for those three players. Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch shelled out on-the-spot signing bonuses of $73 million, funneled directly into the bank accounts of Mr. Jones, Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Thomas. No one said continuity comes cheap.
“It just shows the belief that the organization has in us and the hard work that we put in to earn that,’’ Lawrence said. “I’m excited because things like that build confidence in a person. The more confidence we have, the better the team will be.’’
There is no doubt these signings and these long-term commitments shine like a beacon to the young players on the roster eager to wet their beaks with some of the financial rewards. You play at a high level, stay loyal to the program and contribute to team success, you get paid.
It is generally true that teammates are thrilled when one from among them cashes in — the rising-tide-lifts-all-boats way of thinking.
“It’s amazing because like everybody says, it’s a tough place to play,’’ said receiver Darius Slayton, who signed a new two-year deal this offseason. “When it’s not going well it’s like, ‘Everybody sucks,’ so it’s good to be on the other side of that thing.
“Obviously, we were able to win some games last year and guys were able to perform at a high level, and they’re starting to get rewards for the fruits of their labor. For me, it’s like you see all the hours of off time, the time they put in in the film room, in the weight room, they’re out here by themselves, so seeing that pay off for guys is awesome.’’
If Jones had put up the exact same numbers in 2022 and yet the Giants had finished 7-9-1 instead of 9-7-1, committing to him would have been a much harder sell. That is one of the main reasons Saquon Barkley was so frustrated by the offers presented by the Giants that ultimately did not lead to a multi-year extension. Barkley saw himself as an integral force in the turnaround — no one could argue otherwise — and yet the degradation of the running back position was upheld by the Giants’ front office.
Barkley wanted to stay and take his place among the youngish core, but that did not happen. The Giants would like to think second-year outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and second-year right tackle Evan Neal are part of the core. That is the plan for rookie cornerback Deonte Banks and rookie center John Michael Schmitz, but they have yet to play an NFL snap so any “core’’ talk is premature. Azeez Ojulari’s contract will be up after the 2024 season — he has work to do.
The next player to knock on the core door will be safety Xavier McKinney, whose bye week accident last season that led to a serious hand injury delayed any real contract discussion. McKinney’s deal will be up after this season, and he needs to stay healthy and raise his level of play before he can be considered a fixture on the back end of the defense.
Staying together is hard and uncommon in the transient world of the NFL. The best teams pull it off. The Giants were not the best of teams for more than a decade, but they feel they are on their way back.
“We have a good core group of guys, especially the younger guys,’’ Thomas said.
Thomas is in. The entrance is open for others.
“You’re always looking at the short term and then you’re looking at a long-term plan,’’ Schoen said. “As we went into the offseason, some of the longer deals that we did, those were longer-term plans based on age, their ability, where they fit, and again, just thankful that we have the resources to do that.’’
The money is always there. Finding players worthy of core membership is the challenge.
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