The New York Giants are weeks away from head coach John Harbaugh’s first NFL free agency period shaping this NYG roster how he sees fit, and the latest news and rumors pushed Big Blue to pursue a big-money signing.
The Athletic’s Giants beat reporter, Dan Duggan, laid out a 10-step offseason plan for Harbaugh and New York on February 18. Within it, he suggested that the Giants prioritize signing defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers on a $45 million deal.
“The Giants have built up their edge rush in recent offseasons, but it’s time to take the interior spot next to [Dexter] Lawrence seriously,” Duggan advised. “No more relying on cheap stopgaps to be starters.”
“Lawrence was at his best when he had [Leonard] Williams as a sidekick,” the veteran beat reporter went on. “Signing Franklin-Myers would further establish the defensive line and pass rush as a dominant force. Having waves of talent up front has been proven repeatedly to be the recipe for building a top defense.”
Finally, Duggan acknowledged that “the 29-year-old Franklin-Myers, who had 14 1/2 sacks for the [Denver] Broncos over the past two seasons, won’t come cheap. But if he can be signed for the three-year, $45 million contract projected by PFF, it would be worth it.”
Potential Giants Free Agency Target John Franklin-Myers Is Already New York City Proven
GettyDenver Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers is a free agent.
A Franklin-Myers signing would make sense for two reasons. One, it fills a positional need that the Giants have continually overlooked.
Big Blue has dedicated money and draft picks to its defensive line, but you’re only as good as your weakest link. For the Giants’ D-line, that weak link has been the second interior DL role next to Lawrence.
Veteran Roy Robertson-Harris was brought in to upgrade this position in 2025, but Pro Football Focus graded his 627-snap performance as a 51.8 overall.
Others have also failed to step up and claim this job in recent years, too, including journeyman Rakeem Nunez-Roches and draft picks D.J. Davidson and Darius Alexander, among others.
Needless to say, Franklin-Myers would be the most talented player that the Giants have added to this role since Williams.
The second reason Franklin-Myers makes sense as an NFL free agency pursuit is that he has already proven he can handle New York City. After being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, Franklin-Myers made a name for himself with the New York Jets.
Over four active seasons in New York, “JFM” went from waiver claim to starter. He racked up 17.5 sacks, 21 tackles for a loss, and 61 QB hits.
Midway through his time with the Jets, Franklin-Myers was awarded a $55 million contract extension before being traded to the Broncos in 2024.
Current Giants’ NFL Free Agency News & Rumors
The Giants currently have just over $5.14 million in available cap space, according to Over the Cap. So, obviously, Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen will have to find a few creative ways to free up some more space in the coming weeks.
They could do this by releasing several players who have beneficial cap savings as cut candidates. Or Big Blue could restructure and extend contracts to lower cap numbers.
Either way, Harbaugh and Schoen have some work to do if they want to pursue a free agent like Franklin-Myers.
On top of that, the Giants also have a few key decisions to make on in-house free agents who could either be franchise-tagged, re-signed, or let walk.
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