2 Giants listed among CBS Sports’ top 100 impending free agents

NFL free agency begins in less than one month (March 12) and it’s time to get serious about which players will end up where.

The New York Giants have approximately $50 million in available salary cap space to spend on players this offseason.

It’s anyone’s guess how general manager Joe Schoen plans on allocating that resource. If last year’s performance in free agency tells us anything, they’re not likely to retain their top two free agents — linebacker Azeez Ojulari and wide receiver Darius Slayton — come next month.

In Pete Prisco of CBS Sports’ most recent rankings of this year’s Top 100 available free agents, Ojualri ranked 48th and Slayton 67th.

Ojulari is a talented pass rusher, but he’s been hurt more often than not. After appearing in all 17 games as a rookie in 2021, where he set a franchise record for sacks by a rookie (8.0), Ojulari has appeared in just 29 of a possible 51 games for Big Blue.

Ojulari has 22 sacks in 46 games, so there is a lot to like. But injuries have limited him over his career. He is just 25 years old, so there should be a market for a speedy edge player.

If the Giants can get him back at a discount, they might think about it. That’s doubtful, though. A lot could also hinge on their plans for Kayvon Thibodeaux, whose fifth-year option is up this spring.

Slayton has been very good with the Giants but has never quite worked his way into the upper echelon of NFL receivers. Again, he works well with the younger core of wideouts in the room and is highly regarded both on and off the field.

Slayton is a speed receiver, and we know a lot of teams need help in that area. Slayton’s numbers were down last season, his sixth with the Giants, but that had a lot do with Malik Nabers showing up, along with bad quarterback play. He’d be a nice third receiver for a team. He just turned 28, so he’s two years away from the dreaded age of 30.

The question again is price. The Giants aren’t likely to get into a bidding war for either Slayton or Ojulari. Schoen did not draft either player and likely has no allegiance or investment in either.