Wow among the three teams that go for him he Finaly say yes to new york giants for a contract deal of $66 million

WR Isaiah McKenzie

The 5-foot-8, 173-pounder has experience with coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, having played in Buffalo for parts of five seasons. A fifth-round draft choice by Denver in 2017, McKenzie has played in 93 games with 28 starts for the Broncos (2017-2018), Bills (2018-2022), and Colts (2023). His career numbers include 152 receptions for 1,427 yards (9.4 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns in addition to 50 rushing attempts for 244 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and four scores. He also attempted one pass, which went for a 12-yard touchdown in 2020.

The Georgia product also brings experience as a return specialist. He has returned 81 punts for 722 yards (8.9 yards per return), including an 84-yard touchdown. He has also brought back 56 kickoffs for 1,264 yards (22.6 yards per return), with a long of 75 yards.

TE Jack Stoll

Undrafted out of Nebraska in 2021, the 6-foot-4, 247-pound Stoll spent his first three seasons with the Eagles. He has missed just one game in his career, starting 26 times in 50 career appearances and catching 20 passes for 183 yards (9.2 yards per catch). Stoll has also played in five postseason games, including Super Bowl LVII.

Stoll was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in his senior season and finished his college career as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

TE Chris Manhertz

Manhertz, 6-6 and 235 pounds, has played in 120 games (53 starts) throughout his career for the Saints (2016), Panthers (2016-2020), Jaguars (2021-2022), and Broncos (2023). Last season, he played 367 snaps on offense and 86 on special teams in Denver while playing in 16 games with four starts. His career numbers include 26 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

A Bronx native, Manhertz played at Cardinal Spellman High School before playing collegiately at Canisius.

OL Aaron Stinnie

Undrafted out of James Madison University in 2018, Stinnie has played in 31 games with 12 starts with the Tennessee Titans (2018-19) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-2023). He was a member of Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl Championship team and started the final three postseason games, including Super Bowl LV.

The 6-foot-3, 312-pound lineman played in a career-high 13 games with 11 starts for the Buccaneers in 2023 and allowed just two sacks on 442 pass block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Stinnie played in 54 games with 42 consecutive starts at James Madison from 2013-17. He started all 15 games at left tackle as a redshirt senior in 2017 and earned AP first-team FCS All-American honors along with a first-team All-CAA selection. He was also named first-team All-CAA as a redshirt junior (2016).

Stinnie began his collegiate career as a defensive lineman, playing in 12 games on defense as a redshirt freshman before transitioning to the offensive line the following year.

OL Austin Schlottmann

Undrafted out of TCU in 2018, Schlottmann has played in 67 games with 14 starts with the Denver Broncos (2019-21) and Minnesota Vikings (2022-2023).

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman has seen time at center, right guard and left guard during his NFL career. He has never allowed more than one sack in a season, according to Pro Football Focus. He played in nine games with three starts for the Vikings in 2023.

Schlottmann started 29 games across three seasons at TCU and was named second-team All-Big-12 as a junior in 2016.

OT Matt Nelson

Nelson, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound Iowa product, spent his first four seasons with the Lions, making 14 starts in 43 appearances as a converted defensive lineman. After he spent 2019 on the practice squad as an undrafted rookie, Nelson saw action in all 16 games in 2020 and made a career-high 11 starts the following season.

Nelson started Weeks 2 and 3 at right tackle for Detroit last season before being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Overall, 12 of Nelson’s 14 career starts have been at right tackle. The other two were as an extra offensive lineman.

Nelson spent his collegiate career as a defensive end, appearing in 52 career games (33 starts) for the Hawkeyes. In his final season, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and the Iowa Comeback Player of the Year. Nelson also won the Team Hustle Award on defense and was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

RB Dante Miller

Nicknamed “Lil Turbo” for his 5-foot-9, 200-pound frame, Miller last played in 2022 at the University of South Carolina as a graduate transfer walk-on from Columbia University. He appeared in each of the first six games of the season for the Gamecocks, rushing six times for 38 yards (6.3 yards per carry).

Prior to South Carolina, Miller was an All-Ivy selection at Columbia. From 2018-2021, he rushed for 1,281 yards on 258 carries with six touchdowns, including a career-long run of 83 yards (sixth-longest rush in school history). Miller, a native of North Carolina, ranked ninth in career rushing yards (1,281), fourth in yards per carry (5.0), and seventh in rushing yards per game (49.3) in Columbia history.

REPORTS

AGREED TO TERMS

RETURNING

LS Casey Kreiter

Kreiter joined the team prior to the 2020 campaign and has played in all 67 regular-season games and two postseason contests over the last four seasons.

The former Iowa Hawkeye went undrafted in 2014 before spending the next two training camps with the Dallas Cowboys. Prior to signing with the Giants, Kreiter played four seasons with the Denver Broncos.He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

Kreiter was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year on Wednesday.

LB Benton Whitley

The New York Giants signed linebacker Benton Whitley, who was scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent.

Whitley, 6-4 and 260 pounds, was signed off the Vikings’ practice squad in November and suited up in three games for the Giants last season. He played 13 snaps on defense and 26 on special teams, where he recovered a fumble on a punt return to start the second half of a Week 14 victory over Green Bay.

Undrafted out of Holy Cross in 2022, Whitley has also spent time with the Rams and Chiefs. He was an All-New England selection for the Crusaders in 2021 and a three-time All-Patriot League honoree. Whitley won the Monsignor George S. L. Connor Award, presented annually to the person the Holy Cross players are most proud of as a teammate.

WR/PR Gunner Olszewski

Olszewski was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in the second-to-last game for the Giants last season after his 94-yard punt return touchdown. It was the second longest punt return in Giants history and the longest in 95 years.

Since he entered the NFL in 2019, Olszewski ranks second in punt return yards (1,170) and punt return average (11.9 yards).

LB Carter Coughlin

Coughlin was a seventh-round pick (No. 218 overall) of the Giants in 2020 and has played in 55 games with two starts across the last four seasons. He has primarily played on special teams.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker has career totals of 41 tackles (31 solo), one sack, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

CB Darnay Holmes

Holmes, a fourth-round draft choice by the Giants in 2020, became an unrestricted free agent when the new league year began on March 13.

Holmes recorded a career-high two interceptions in 2023, despite not making a start for the first time in his four seasons. He did, however, play in a career-high 16 games. Overall, Holmes has made 11 starts in 54 games played for the Giants. His career numbers include four interceptions, 18 passes defensed, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He has also forced a fumble on special teams, where he lined up for 194 plays last season.

In addition, Holmes has appeared in two postseason games and recorded two tackles for loss in the Giants’ Wild Card victory over the Vikings in 2022.

A native of Pasadena, Calif., Holmes played in 35 games with 33 starts in three seasons at UCLA. His career totals included 121 tackles (89 solo), eight interceptions, 28 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He averaged 23.1 yards on 38 kickoff returns, including a 93-yard touchdown.

WR Isaiah Hodgins

Hodgins, who played in all 17 games for the Giants with nine starts last season, was a restricted free agent.

A sixth-round pick by the Bills in 2020, Hodgins was acquired off waivers by the Giants midway through the 2022 season. He went on to catch 33 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns in just eight games as he helped the Giants clinch a spot in the postseason, where he hauled in another eight passes for 105 yards and a score in the team’s Wild Card win over the Vikings.

Overall, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has 58 career receptions for 622 yards and seven touchdowns.

Prior to the NFL, Hodgins was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in 2019 at Oregon State. His 20 touchdowns were tied for second-most in program history.

S/LB Isaiah Simmons

The versatile defender, who was acquired by the Giants via trade before the start of last season, was an unrestricted free agent. Simmons played all 17 games in his first season with the Giants, starting four times and recording 50 tackles, a sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and an interception that he returned 54 yards for a touchdown in a Week 11 victory at Washington.

The eighth overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2020 NFL Draft, Simmons has never missed a game, appearing 67 times in the regular season with 41 starts.

Simmons won a national championship with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence at Clemson, where they both had illustrious college careers.

Simmons was the first player in program history to win the Butkus Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

The 2019 ACC Defensive Player of the Year also became the sixth unanimous All-American in school history at the time, joining former Giant Terry Kinard (1982), Gaines Adams (2006), C.J. Spiller (2009), Da’Quan Bowers (2010) and Christian Wilkins (2018).

Simmons transitioned from safety in 2017 to the starting nickel/sam linebacker position in 2018. He concluded his Clemson career with 253 tackles (28.5 for loss), 10.5 sacks, 22 pass breakups, four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown), five forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 1,856 career snaps over 44 games (29 starts).

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

• RB Saquon Barkley (Update: Barkley signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles)
• OL Ben Bredeson (Update: Bredeson signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• RB Matt Breida
• LB Cam Brown
• K Randy Bullock
• WR Parris Campbell (Update: Campbell has signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles)
• LB Jarrad Davis
• C Sean Harlow
• C J.C. Hassenauer
• CB Adoree’ Jackson
• G Shane Lemieux
• S Xavier McKinney (Update: McKinney signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers)
• OT Matt Peart (Update: Peart signed a contract with the Denver Broncos)
• OT Tyre Phillips
• OL Justin Pugh
• DL A’Shawn Robinson (Update: Robinson signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers)
• WR Sterling Shepard
• QB Tyrod Taylor (Update: Taylor signed a contract with the New York Jets)
• OLB Jihad Ward (Update: Ward has signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings)

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

• TE Lawrence Cager
• G Wyatt Davis
• CB Nick McCloud

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS

• QB Jacob Eason

DATES TO KNOW

Feb. 20: Beginning this date through 4:00 p.m., New York time on March 5, clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players.

Feb. 27-March 4: NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

March 5: Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 11-13: During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 11 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

During the above two-day negotiating period, a prospective UFA who is not represented by an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor (“Unrepresented Player”) is permitted to communicate directly with a new club’s front office officials (excluding the head coach and other members of the club’s coaching staff) regarding contract negotiations. The club is responsible for confirming the player’s status as an Unrepresented Player.

No prospective unrestricted free agent is permitted to execute a contract with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

March 13: The 2024 League Year and Free Agency signing period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.

Trading period for 2024 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2023 contracts.

The first day of the 2024 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13. Clubs will receive a Personnel Notice that will include all transactions submitted to the League office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

March 24-27: Annual League Meeting, Orlando, FL

April 15: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

April 17: Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview or conduct a physical examination with a draft- eligible player at its club facility.

April 19: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.

April 24: Deadline for prior club to exercise Right of First Refusal to restricted free agents who signed offer sheets.

Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls) or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location.

April 25-27: NFL Draft, Detroit

May 2: Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2021 Draft.

May 3-6 or May 10-13: Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft.

May 13: Rookie Football Development Programs begin.

May 20-22: Spring League Meeting/Coach Accelerator, Nashville, TN

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When does the 2024 free agency signing period begin?

At 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13.​

When is the two-day negotiating period for potential unrestricted free agents?

From 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, March 11 until 3:59:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m. ET on March 13. The two-day negotiating period applies only to prospective unrestricted free agents. It does not apply to players who have received, or who may receive, a required tender applicable to the 2024 League Year (e.g., exclusive rights players, restricted free agents, franchise players or transition players).

What are the categories of free agency?

Players are either “restricted free agents” or “unrestricted free agents.” A restricted free agent may be subject to a “qualifying offer.” A restricted or unrestricted free agent may be designated by his prior club as its franchise player or transition player.

What is the time period for free agency signings this year?

For restricted free agents, from March 13 to April 19.

For unrestricted free agents who have received a tender from their prior club by the Monday immediately following the final day of the NFL Draft for the 2024 League Year (i.e., April 29), from March 13 to July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later).

For franchise players, from March 13 until the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season, November 12.

For transition players, from March 13 until July 22. After July 22 and until 4 p.m. ET on the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season, November 12, the prior club has exclusive negotiating rights to unrestricted free agents and transition players. If the above-listed players do not sign by November 12, they must sit out the season. ​

What is the difference between a restricted free agent and an unrestricted free agent?

In the 2024 league year, players with three accrued seasons who have received a qualifying offer become restricted free agents when their contracts expire at the conclusion of the 2023 league year on March 13. Unrestricted free agents have completed four or more accrued seasons. Upon expiration of his 2023 contract, an unrestricted free agent is free to sign with any club with no draft-choice compensation owed to his old club.

What constitutes an “accrued season”?

Six or more regular season games on a club’s active/inactive, reserve/injured or reserve/physically unable to perform lists.

How do the free agency rules apply to restricted free agents?

If a player with three accrued seasons has received a “qualifying offer” (a salary tender predetermined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players) from his old club, he can negotiate with any club through April 19. If the restricted free agent signs an offer sheet with a new club, his old club can match the offer and retain him because the qualifying offer entitles it to a “right of first refusal” on any offer sheet the player signs. If the old club does not match the offer, it may receive draft-choice compensation depending on the amount of its qualifying offer. If an offer sheet is not executed on or before April 19, the player’s negotiating rights revert exclusively to his old club. In addition, prior to the start of free agency a player who would otherwise be a restricted free agent may be designated by his old club as its franchise player or transition player.

What are the right of first refusal/qualifying offer amounts for players who have completed three accrued seasons?

For right of first refusal only, a one-year salary of at least $2,985,000.

For right of first refusal and compensation at the player’s original draft round, a one-year salary of at least $3,116,000 or 110 percent of the 2023 Paragraph 5 salary, whichever is greater.

For right of first refusal and compensation of one second-round draft selection, a one-year salary of at least $4,890,000 or 110 percent of the 2023 Paragraph 5 salary, whichever is greater.

For right of first refusal and compensation of one first-round draft selection, a one-year salary of at least $6,822,000 or 110 percent of the 2023 Paragraph 5 salary, whichever is greater.

For right of first refusal and compensation of only one first-round draft selection, but any provision in the new club’s offer sheet waiving or limiting the new club’s ability to designate the player as a franchise or transition player is not a principal term and need not be matched by the prior club, a one-year salary of at least $7,322,000 or 110 percent of the 2023 Paragraph 5 salary, whichever is greater.

What determines an unrestricted free agent?

A player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. He is free to sign with any club, with no draft-choice compensation owed to his old club, through July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). At that point, his negotiating rights revert exclusively to his old club if by April 29 the old club tendered the player a one-year contract for 110 percent of his prior year’s salary. His old club then has until the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season (November 12) to sign him. If he does not sign by that date, he must sit out the season. If no tender is offered by April 29, the player can be signed by any club at any time throughout the season. ​

What determines a franchise player?

The salary offer by a player’s club determines what type of franchise player he is: exclusive or non-exclusive.

An “exclusive” franchise player – not free to sign with another club – is offered the greater of (i) the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year as of the end of the restricted free agent signing period on April 19; or (ii) the amount of the required tender for a non-exclusive franchise player, as explained below.

Article 10, Section 2(a)(i) of the CBA sets forth the methodology, known as the “Cap Percentage Average,” for calculating the required tender for a non-exclusive franchise player:

The Nonexclusive Franchise Tender shall be a one year NFL Player Contract for (A) the average of the five largest Prior Year Salaries for players at the position . . . at which the Franchise Player participated in the most plays during the prior League Year, which average shall be calculated by: (1) summing the amounts of the Franchise Tags for players at that position for the five preceding League Years; (2) dividing the resulting amount by the sum of the Salary Caps for the five preceding League Years . . . ; and (3) multiplying the resulting percentage by the Salary Cap for the upcoming League Year . . . (the “Cap Percentage Average”) . . . ; or (B) 120% of his Prior Year Salary, whichever is greater . . . .

​If a club extends a required tender to a “non-exclusive” franchise player pursuant to this section, the player shall be permitted to negotiate a player contract with any club, except that draft-choice compensation of two first-round draft selections shall be made in the event he signs with a new club.

How many franchise players and transition players can a team designate each season?

A club can designate one franchise player or one transition player among its potential restricted or unrestricted free agents. ​

Can a club decide to withdraw its franchise or transition designation on a player?

Yes. A club can withdraw its franchise or transition designation, and the player then automatically becomes an unrestricted free agent, either immediately if the tender is withdrawn after the start of the 2024 League Year, or when his 2023contract expires if the tender is withdrawn before the start of the 2024 League Year.

What is the salary cap for 2024?

The salary cap is $255,400,000 per club.

When must teams be in compliance with the salary cap?

At the start of the 2024 League Year, which begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13.

If a team is under the salary cap at the end of a given season, can the team “carry over” room to the next season?

Yes. A team may carry over room from one league year to the following league year by submitting notice to the NFL prior to 4:00 p.m. ET on the day following the team’s final regular-season game, indicating the amount of room that the club wishes to carry over.

What is the maximum amount of room that a club can carry over?

A club can carry over 100 percent of its remaining 2023 room to its adjusted salary cap for 2024.