The Giants are early in the John Harbaugh era, but a glance at the 2026 contract sheet makes one thing plain: some players are already running out of time.
Harbaugh may have the freedom to build this thing patiently. The roster doesn’t get that same luxury. For a handful of veterans and hopefuls, this season is shaping up as a straight-up audition for what comes next.
Kayvon Thibodeaux is one of the clearest examples. After the Giants picked up his fifth-year option, he’s set to make $14.75 million in 2026, a number that doesn’t even land him inside the top 20 edge defenders by annual pay.
That matters because the Giants already have Brian Burns and Abdul Carter ahead of him, and Arvell Reese’s versatility could eventually send him to the defensive line. If Thibodeaux doesn’t play at a high level, he could wind up as New York’s fourth edge defender.
To change the conversation, he’ll need to get back to his 2023 form and show Harbaugh and Joe Schoen that an extension is justified.
Darius Slayton’s situation looks even shakier. The three-year, $36 million deal he signed after the 2024 season was viewed as a mistake almost right away, and last season didn’t do much to quiet that noise.
He caught 37 passes for 538 yards, even with target competition light after Malik Nabers’ injury. The Giants were stuck with him this offseason because of the guarantees left on the contract - cutting him now would have created a $15.5 million dead cap hit.
After the season, though, that drops to just $3 million. Unless his production takes a major jump, this should be his last year in New York.
Paulson Adebo is in a different kind of pressure spot. The Giants made a major free-agent splash by giving him a three-year, $54 million deal, a contract that ranks third on the roster in total value behind only Andrew Thomas and Brian Burns.
The first year in New York wasn’t a total wash, but it also wasn’t the kind of season that matches top-tier money. He’s being paid like a top-20 corner, yet his coverage grade last season ranked 55th out of 69 qualifying cornerbacks.
In 2026, he has to show he’s worth the investment.
Then there’s Greg Newsome II, who arrives in New York with something to prove just to stay in the league conversation. The Jacksonville Jaguars let him go after trading for him during the middle of the 2025 season, and he signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Giants.
Right now, he’s battling Deonte Banks and Colton Hood for the second starting outside cornerback job. If he can’t win it, his NFL career could end sooner than expected.
In Other News...
Giants Fans Just Got A New Reason To Watch Dart Closely
The Giants spent the 2026 offseason reshaping the roster around a new coaching voice, bringing in John Harbaugh and layering in veterans such as Isaiah Likely, Tremaine Edmunds, Greg Newsome II, DJ Reader and Shelby Harris. They also added Arvell Reese, Colton Hood and Malachi Fields in a draft class that drew strong reviews across the league, giving the team a noticeably different look before a snap has been played.
Amid all that turnover, Jaxson Dart has become one of the more interesting figures to watch. Jameis Winston has already praised Darts work ethic, and the young quarterback enters the year with plenty of attention on how he handles a bigger stage and a retooled supporting cast. The upside is obvious, but so is the pressure to clean up some of the pocket habits that showed up in 2025. [Read more 🡒]
Tremaine Edmunds Might Be The Giants Fix Fans Stopped Believing In
The Giants went into the offseason knowing the middle of their defense needed more than a tweak. Last seasons run defense lived near the bottom of the league, and the signing of Tremaine Edmunds was aimed at giving the unit more size, experience and reliable tackling in a spot where opponents had too much room to work.
Edmunds is expected to be the steady starting point New York has been missing, but the rest of the linebacker room is still sorting itself out. Micah McFadden is fighting for his role, Arvell Reese still has to earn snaps, and the Giants are banking on Edmunds to bring some order to a position group that has not offered much of it lately. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxson Dart Just Entered A Debate Giants Fans Will Love
A recent NFL Media mock draft built around each players 2026 outlook gave Giants fans a little jolt of validation, because Jaxson Dart was treated like a quarterback whose stock is rising fast enough to belong in a conversation with established names. The exercise was not about where players were drafted originally, but about how they are viewed now, and Darts inclusion in that kind of discussion says plenty about the buzz he has already created.
Jalen Hurts is the other half of the debate, and the contrast is what makes it interesting for New York. Hurts has a Super Bowl ring, but he is also drawing fresh scrutiny around leadership, long-term viability and whether he is more of a system quarterback than a true team-elevator, while Dart is being framed as a young passer with legitimate upside and the kind of maturity that has helped his reputation grow quickly. For Giants fans, it is the sort of quarterback conversation that feels less like idle chatter and more like a sign that their own future at the position is starting to get noticed. [Read more 🡒]