The New York Giants are projected to have over $43.3 million in available cap space in 2025, but with the number of holes they have on their roster, general manager Joe Schoen could use every extra dollar that he can get.
One way to free up a little bit of space would be to release veteran kicker Graham Gano. Signed to a $16.5 million contract extension in 2023, Gano has a base salary of $4.5 million this year — along with a cap hit of $5.665 million. He’s under contract through the end of 2026.
Having said that, the Giants could save $3.165 million by cutting Gano prior to June 1. They could also save $4.415 million by designating him as a post-June 1 release, but then they wouldn’t be able to utilize the newfound cap space until after that date.
“I would guess he’d be a cap casualty,” New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy told Ourlads Football on January 20. Later, he added that “I would think he’ll be cut, or have his contract reworked.”
Gano has been extremely unreliable in recent seasons due to injuries, but he’s also getting old. The long-time NFL kicker turns 38 years old in April, and he’s only appeared in 18 games over the past two campaigns, converting just 71.4% of his field goal attempts during that span.
There was a time where Gano represented a strength of this Giants roster, but those days appear to be over. The kicking game has been a disaster for head coach Brian Daboll in 2023 and 2024, and Big Blue must correct this issue if they hope to turn things around in 2025.
Bleacher Report Lists Graham Gano as Most Likely Giants Cap Casualty
Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine agreed with Dunleavy’s assessment of Gano, naming him as the Giants’ most likely cap casualty on January 20.
“Graham Gano was the highest-paid kicker in the league in 2024, and he’s set to be the fifth-highest-paid in 2025,” Ballentine noted. “That seems like a bit much for a team that has much bigger needs across the roster.”
“Gano is now 38 years old and has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons,” the analyst went on. “Given his age and the fact that the Giants can clear [approximately] $3.2 million of his cap hit by releasing him before June 1, he could be a cap casualty.”
Although Ballentine acknowledged that “the Giants aren’t exactly strapped for cash,” he also concluded that “this could still be a move they make just to prioritize that cash differently.”
Giants Predicted to Draft Kicker in 2025
On January 13, SNY’s Lucas Hutcherson published an article discussing five “bold predictions” for the Giants in 2025. The final one involved NYG drafting a kicker.
“The Giants thought they had addressed their kicker position by signing Graham Gano a few years ago, but the veteran has missed 16 games over the past two seasons,” Hutcherson wrote. “Four other players have kicked for the Giants during that time, not to mention a few other kickers who signed but got hurt before they got a chance to contribute.”
“New York could address this position once and for all by drafting a top collegiate kicker,” the SNY contributor continued, adding that “Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald recently declared for the draft and is considered by many experts to be the top kicking prospect available.”
“While it might cost New York a mid-round pick to land Fitzgerald, it could be a worthwhile investment if it eradicates a problem that has affected them for the past few seasons,” Hutcherson concluded, “and [the pick] prevents them from having to worry about this position again for several years.”
If the Giants do draft a kicker in 2025, they’ll surely cut Gano, either before or after June 1.
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