Many, but not all, the Giants in free agencies specifically designed to help and support Daniel Jones. The front office undoubtedly believes the still-young quarterback, entering his third NFL season, is in a more advantageous position than ever before.
‘Of course, I’ve always believed that you’ll set up the man you feel is your franchise quarter. “The first thing you have to do is keep people around him upright, and then he has to get playmakers for him,” general manager Dave Gettleman said on Tuesday. “You help him by doing a variety of things.”
The things the Giants did this season to make Jones’ football life easier began with the signing of big receiver Kenny Golladay. They also added veteran tighthead Kyle Rudolph, the Devontae Booker and John Ross, the highway receiver.
“We felt we wanted a bigger broad receiver, Kenny was available and we entered into the agreement,” Gettleman said. “It will help Daniel, of course. Kyle Rudolph is a professional tight end. He was in the league for ten years, he knows all the ins and outs, he’s still a good player, of course that helps Daniel, but it also helps our running game, it helps Saquon [Barkley]. It’s a whole picture. ‘
The signing of Booker for a $ 5.5 million two-year contract has caused some controversy. If Barkley fully recovers from a reconstructive knee surgery, Booker’s role is only a backup.
“One of the reasons we put Devontae first is that you can never have too many good players in a position,” Gettleman said. ‘One of the things that made Devontae attractive was the fact that we thought he was a legitimate running back. We feel he can be a good part of our solution to running back. ‘
After agreeing to a two-year, $ 12 million contract with Rudolph, the Giants learned Rudolph had a problem with his foot that needed surgery to correct. They could go back on the deal or reduce the guaranteed money ($ 4.5 million) by adding incentives based on playing time. Ronnie Barnes, the senior vice president of medical services, and dr. Scott Rodeo, the main team doctor, signed Rudolph and eventually recovered and the contract remained unchanged.
“We are the giants,” Gettleman said. “We’re going to do everything with the class and we had an agreement, Ronnie reported it and Dr. Rodeo signed it, so we were fine.”
The Giants knew that Leonard Williams had to pay out big money (three years, $ 63 million), meaning his defensive partner Dalvin Tomlinson would not return. Tomlinson signed a $ 21 million deal with the Vikings for two years.
“Dalvin is a wonderful young man, and he was a captain,” Gettleman said. “There is, of course, regret. But at the end of the day, you have just as much money and you have to make decisions. It’s just the way it is. We will absolutely miss Dalvin, and I’m glad he got what he wanted, and that Minnesota is a great organization. ‘