The Giants did a lot, but not all, in a free agency specifically designed to provide help and support to Daniel Jones. There is no doubt that the front office believes the still-young quarterback, who is entering his third NFL season, is in a more advantageous position than ever.
“Of course, I always thought you’d write the guy you think will be your franchise quarterback, the first thing you have to do is get the people around him to keep him upright and then you have to get him game creators said the general manager. Dave Gettleman said Tuesday. “You help him by doing various things.”
The things the Giants did this offseason to make Jones ’football life easier began with the signing of other receiver Kenny Golladay. They also added tight end veteran Kyle Rudolph, runner Devontae Booker and speed receiver John Ross.
“We felt we’d like to get a bigger wide receiver, Kenny was available and we made the deal,” Gettleman said. “It simply came to our notice then. Kyle Rudolph is a tight professional. He has been in the league for ten years, he knows all the details, he is still a good player, of course, this helps Daniel, but it also helps our career, it helps Saquon [Barkley]. It’s a whole picture. “
Booker’s signing for a two-year, $ 5.5 million contract increased his appearance. If Barkley fully recovers from reconstructive knee surgery, Booker’s role is strictly as a backup.
“One of the reasons we prioritized Devontae is that you can never have too many good players in a position,” Gettleman said. “One of the things that made Devontae attractive was the fact that we felt he was a legitimate three-way runner. We believe it can be a good part of our solution to go back. “
After accepting a two-year, $ 12 million contract with Rudolph, the Giants learned that Rudolph had a foot problem that required surgery to fix. They could have returned to the deal or reduced the guaranteed money ($ 4.5 million) by adding incentives based on playing time. Ronnie Barnes, senior vice president of medical services, and Dr. Scott Rodeo, the principal team doctor, signed Rudolph, who eventually returned to health and the contract remained unchanged.
“We’re the giants,” Gettleman said. “We’ll do everything with the class and we had a deal. Ronnie signed it and Dr. Rodeo signed it, so we’re fine.”
The Giants knew that allocating big money (three years, $ 63 million) to Leonard Williams meant his defensive linebacker, Dalvin Tomlinson, would not return. Tomlinson signed a two-year, $ 21 million deal with the Vikings.
“Dalvin is a wonderful young man and he was a captain,” Gettleman said. “It simply came to our notice then. But in the end you only have so much money and you have to make decisions. It’s like this. We will miss Dalvin absolutely, and I am delighted that he has what he wanted and that Minnesota is a good organization. “