The New York Giants will head down to The Greenbrier in West Virginia in three weeks to begin their 2026 training camp. They will be bringing a full roster of 90 players, and competition for jobs is expected to be fiercer than ever under first-year head coach John Harbaugh.
53 of the 90 players the Giants will bring to camp do not have contracts past this season. Granted, many of them were signed to one-year veteran deals this spring, but some are in the final years of multi-year deals and will be eligible for free agency next March.
Here are seven of those players who could be playing their final seasons for Big Blue.
Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux
Thibodeaux, the fifth overall selection in the 2022 NFL draft by the Giants, will be playing under his fifth-year option salary of $14.751 million. There’s been a ton of trade talk surrounding him, but the Giants aren’t about to give him away. Thobodeaux is currently seen as a backup linebacker who will be sprinkled into coordinator Dennard Wilson’s defense, but at that price, that is not optimal. It’s not realistic to think the Giants will extend him during the season. A trade is still very likely should the right offer come along.
Guard Jon Runyan Jr.
Runyan is entering the final season of a three-year, $30 million deal. He has been a decent performer, but he’s been banged up quite a bit. He doesn’t appear to be a Harbaugh-type lineman and will have to visibly up his game and excel this year to be brought back. The Giants have a glut of young linemen behind him waiting for a chance to play.
Cornerback Deonte Banks
Banks, the Giants’ top pick in the 2023 draft, is one of the players Harbaugh is offering a “clean slate” this year. Banks still has the talent and looks to be embracing his second chance thus far. Time will tell. The Giants aren’t very deep at corner, and he should at least make the roster. Beyond that is up to him.
Center John Michael Schmitz
Schmitz was a 2023 second-round pick who has had his share of nicks and bruises as well. In his three years with the Giants, he’s played in just 41 games. Again, he might not be the ideal Harbaugh center, and the team sought a replacement for him this past offseason. He might have to bowl the coaches over to get an extension.
Quarterback Jameis Winston
Winston signed a two-year, $8 million deal last year with the Giants and has been a bargain so far. He is still a viable option at quarterback and a top presence on the sideline and in the locker room. Winston is a great influence on Jaxson Dart and enjoys being a Giant, but some QB-needy team will likely offer him big money in free agency.
Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt
Hyatt is in the final year of his rookie deal. The 2023 third-rounder has been a colossal disappointment, recording just 13 receptions over the last two seasons for a team that was desperate for pass catchers. He’s also getting a clean slate, but has several levels of competition to contend with this summer. He could be cut or even a practice-squad option this year.
Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris
Robertson-Harris signed a two-year, $9 million free agent deal last March. He tore his Achilles in May during OTAs, but the Giants have yet to move him to IR. They are holding out hope that he can play this season, but the odds are against that happening. He will be 34 this year and will be tough to sign coming off such a serious injury. The Giants have been stockpiling defensive linemen this spring and will likely continue to do so.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 7 Giants who could be entering their final season in New York
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