The New York Giants have not drafted all that spectacularly since handing the keys over to general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. If they had, there would have been more wins over the past two years.
To be fair, the 2024 draft class does look promising so far, but keep in mind that many said the same thing about the 2023 class before it bombed in year two.
Generally, it takes two to three seasons to determine if an NFL draft pick is a hit or a miss, which brings us to Schoen and Daboll’s initial 2022 class. Although the results have mostly been subpar, there is one player that may have done enough to earn an early extension according to The Athletic’s NYG beat reporter Dan Duggan, and that’s inside linebacker Micah McFadden — a former fifth-round selection out of Indiana.
Duggan included a McFadden contract extension as part of his 10-step offseason plan on February 18, settling on a “reasonable” $12 million deal. The reporter then explained his thought process.
Giants Beat Reporter Suggests Turning Micah McFadden’s PPE Bonus Into Mutually Beneficial Contract Extension
Per Duggan, “as a fifth-round pick, McFadden has only made $2.9 million in his first three seasons.” The beat writer believes that this lower earnings total “should make [McFadden] receptive to a modest extension that provides security with guaranteed money.”
“McFadden is due to earn a proven performance escalator raise to $3.3 million this year,” Duggan continued on with his reasoning. “Folding that salary into a three-year, $12 million extension that keeps the 25-year-old in New York through the 2027 season is a reasonable deal for both sides.”
For those who don’t know, proven performance escalator raises — or PPEs — are awarded to younger players that reach a certain threshold of snap percentage within each of their first three seasons. McFadden qualified for a level one PPE, which raises his “base salary to the amount of [his] original draft round RFA tender” according to Over the Cap.
That salary bump aligns with the potential three-year commitment that Duggan is outlining.
“McFadden isn’t a star, but the Giants need to start retaining their homegrown talent,” the reporter concluded. “By extending a player like McFadden early, the Giants will avoid paying sticker price in free agency on him or a replacement.”
NFL Raises Salary Cap by Minimum of $22.1 Million
McFadden’s extension won’t cost much — it might even lower his cap hit if Schoen wanted to structure it that way.
Having said that, the Giants will have some extra money to play around with in 2025, so they could even pay upfront in order to secure a recent draft pick like McFadden long-term.
According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on February 19 (via NFL.com), “while an official figure has yet to be established, the league provided clubs a projected salary cap range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million per club for the 2025 season.”
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra also reminded that “[this] estimated range is more than clubs had been anticipating. In December, teams were budgeting for a salary cap of $265 million to $275 million.”
That means a minimum leaguewide cap increase of $22.1 million in 2025, with the potential for an increase as great as $26.1 million.
Needless to say, this is good news for every NFL team, Giants included, but it’s really the most rewarding for the players. Per WFAN beat reporter Paul Dottino, “this [cap] hike should get the Giants to an estimated $45M-$50M in cap space for 2025.”
That gives Schoen plenty of room for a McFadden extension — should he agree with Duggan — among other moves.
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