It’s official! The 2024 NFL free agency period has begun. The two days of legal tampering has concluded and free agency officially kicked off at 4pm ET Wednesday. There will certainly still be plenty of free agency news to come, but let’s take a look at how the Giants faired through the first wave of signings.
The Giants were one of the busiest franchises in the league, re-signing talent, signing brand new players, and even bringing in one star defender via trade. Let’s dive in and see how general manager Joe Schoen and the Giants have graded out thus far as 2024 NFL free agency takes its first steps.
The Brian Burns trade with the Carolina Panthers was the biggest win for the Giants this week. They did have to part ways with the 39th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and a fifth round pick in 2025, but they desperately needed a top notch edge rusher to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The only questionable aspect of the deal was that Burns was probably a bit overpaid for what he did two years ago versus who he is now. He was barely a top 40 edge when it came to pressure rate last year. $30 million a year is pretty aggressive for that kind of play. Still, overall a win.
Singletary has been one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL since entering the league back in 2019. He’s never logged less than 750 rushing yards in a season, and never more than 986. Singletary always logs above average marks in missed tackles forced, explosive play rate, and receiving value while also not being anything spectacular.
It’s going to be tough for him to come in and be anywhere near as good a player as Saquon Barkley, so expect a downgrade at the position, but the cost is a nice value for the team, only paying $5.5 million a year for their presumed starter.
Isaiah McKenzie is a near zero value player as a receiver. Through six pro seasons McKenzie has logged more than 282 receiving yards just once. However, he is one of the best return weapons in the NFL for both punts and kickoffs. McKenzie should immediately become the team’s best option at returner, an area where they were clearly weak a year ago.
The Giants brought Jalen Mills in for the veteran salary benefit of $985 thousand for just one season. That’s an absolute steal for a defensive back with nearly 6000 NFL snaps under his belt. It is notable that Mills struggled so much in one-on-one coverage early in his career that he switched to safety. However, the Giants won’t be putting him in tough situations where he’s by himself on an island with receivers
