– NFL free agency is off and running, and we’re keeping track of every major signing, trade and release of the 2024 offseason, with analysis from our NFL Nation reporters and grades from our experts. The new league year officially began Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, which means free agent signings can now be made official. The first round of the 2024 NFL draft begins April 25 on ESPN.
Here’s a breakdown of every 2024 NFL free agent signing by the New York Giants and how each will impact the upcoming season:
After acquiring pass rusher Brian Burns from the Panthers via trade, the Giants are signing him to a five-year, $150 million contract.
The Giants have a big-time pass rusher to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux. It’s not cheap, but Burns plays a premium position and has 38.5 sacks in the past four seasons. Now all the Giants moves make sense. General manager Joe Schoen allowed Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney to walk because of positional value. He viewed running back and safety as non-premium positions. Instead, he invested heavily in an edge rusher and the offensive line. Burns was the best pass rusher available this offseason.
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It’s a lot of money. There is no doubt about that. Burns’ deal could be worth up to $150 million — or $30 million per year. The explosive pass rusher is coming off a year where he had just 8.0 sacks. But he did have a pass rush win rate of 21.6% (ninth in the NFL). Still, this is a ton of money for a player with just one 10-plus sack season. The expectations are going to be high in New York. How will he handle the pressure? He wasn’t especially happy this past year in Carolina.
The Giants have reached a one-year deal with former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock, a source told ESPN.
The Giants have their veteran backup behind Daniel Jones. They also have Tommy DeVito in the quarterback room. The likelihood, barring a setback, is that Jones will be the Week 1 starter. It also doesn’t affect whether the Giants will take a quarterback in the draft. Lock, 27, has proved to be a serviceable fill-in option. That should be his role with the Giants.
They guaranteed Lock $5 million. If the Giants add a quarterback in the first round of the draft, that will be a crowded — and expensive — quarterback room. The Giants needed to add a contingency to the quarterback room in case they don’t draft a quarterback, and Lock was the best option available.
