Follow every signing and trade with The Athletic's live coverage of 2025 NFL Free Agency
This is a running analysis of the New York Giants' moves and key departures during free agency. The legal tampering window began Monday at noon ET and the NFL's new league year, when teams can formally sign free agents who played elsewhere in 2023, begins Wednesday.
According to the NFLPA, the Giants entered free agency with around $47 million in cap space. They had plenty of needs to address, and they got off to a fast start addressing them.
After re-signing a handful of their own free agents before the legal tampering period began, the Giants landed one of the top cornerbacks on the market, agreeing to terms with Paulson Adebo. Later, in a somewhat surprising move, they reunited with wide receiver Darius Slayton, who will given the Giants a formidable 1-2 punch at receiver alongside Malik Nabers.
However, the question remains: Who will be throwing those receivers passes in 2025? At this point, the Giants still don't have their starting quarterback. Will they find him in free agency?
March 11: The Giants kicked off Day 2 of the free agent legal tampering period with a bang, agreeing to terms with star safety Jevon Holland. The team and player agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with $30.3 million guaranteed, league sources told The Athletic.
Holland checked in at No. 18 on The Athletic's updated top 150 free agent list and was the third-highest-ranked safety on the market. Selected out of Oregon by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Holland offers an intriguing skill set as he can impact all three levels of a defense.
In 15 games last season, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound free safety recorded 62 combined tackles and one sack. His best season came in 2022, when he played in all 17 games and notched a career-high 96 combined tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble and seven pass breakups. Over the past two seasons, the 25-year-old has missed seven games -- one for a concussion and four for a pair of knee sprains in 2023 as well as two with a broken left hand in 2024.
Read more about the Holland signing.
March 10: The Giants and former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston reached an agreement on a three-year, $19.5 million deal, according to multiple reports. The 27-year-old former third-round pick ranked No. 131 on The Athletic's top 150 free agents list.
Golston saw plenty of work last season with the Cowboys (791 defensive snaps) due to their injury situation and tallied 5.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and eight QB hits in 17 games. He started Week 5 onward this past season.
As our rankings noted, the 268-pound Golston is "built a bit more like a defensive tackle. He does not have the strength to move there full-time, but he did flash at times as an interior rusher."
The Giants already have their starting edge players in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns, but with free agent Azeez Ojulari's return unlikely, Golston can take over the role as the third man up in that rotation.
March 10: The Giants continue to spread the wealth on the first day of free agency, sprinkling in some depth signings among big contracts for cornerback Paulson Adebo and wide receiver Darius Slayton. The latest minor addition is linebacker Chris Board, who is signing a two-year contract worth up to $6 million, according to league sorces. The 29-year-old Board is a proven special teamer who provides depth at inside linebacker. He'll likely take over the role filled by Matthew Adams last season.
March 10: The Giants are beefing up their offensive line depth, agreeing Monday to a two-year, $12 million deal (with another $4 million in incentives) with James Hudson III, according to multiple reports. The 25-year-old OT was a 2021 fourth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns. He has played in 49 games, making 17 starts for Cleveland. Hudson struggled last season, surrendering 15 pressures, nine hurries and eight QB hits, according to TruMedia, in four games before undergoing shoulder surgery.
The Giants have struggled with injuries to their offensive linemen the past few seasons, especially both left tackle Andrew Thomas and right tackle Evan Neal. The Hudson signing should provide injury insurance and a new swing tackle option in place of Josh Ezeudu, who had struggled in the role.
March 10: The Giants are bringing back a familiar face. Wide receiver Darius Slayton and the Giants agreed Monday to a three-year, $36 million deal, according to league sources.
Slayton was the best fit as a WR2 in a market full of aging WRs who would likely command more money and/or not fit into the locker room as well. There were no signs that either side was interested in staying together ... but here we are. Slayton's return doesn't bode well for anyone holding out hope for a Jalin Hyatt breakout in Year 3. It's possible he could become a trade option.
Read more about the Slayton signing.
March 10: The first day of free agency isn't limited to agreements with premium free agents. The Giants agreed to make a budget signing of 31-year-old veteran defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris on Monday. Robertson-Harris reportedly will get a two-year, $9 million contract.
The Giants desperately need to upgrade their interior defensive line to complement All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Harris is a serviceable veteran who has played for the Seahawks, Jaguars and Bears during his eight-year career. The modest contract for Roberston-Harris shouldn't prevent the Giants from making further investments in the defensive line.
March 10: The Giants agreed to terms on a three-year, $54 million contract ($36 million guaranteed) Monday with 25-year-old and former New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo, according to multiple reports. Adebo is a big addition to a Giants cornerback room that desperately needed a proven commodity. While obviously talented, Adebo doesn't come without questions, as he sustained a season-ending injury (broken femur) in October, though he's been posting videos to social media showing his progress, including a recent one that featured a backflip. Before the injury, Adebo was enjoying an excellent 2024 campaign that included three interceptions and 10 pass breakups in his seven games. In 2023, Adebo tallied four interceptions and 18 pass breakups. According to Pro Football Focus, Adebo leads the NFL in forced incompletions over the past two seasons.
In an early look at the 2025 free agency class, Adebo was slotted 20th in our rankings, largely due to his length, ability to diagnose plays quickly and top-tier ball skills. "Adebo also possesses unusual patience and poise at the moment of truth, which is difficult for a corner who is under stress," we wrote. That patience could be a great example for New York's younger position room.
March 8: The Giants reached an agreement on a one-year deal with Manhertz, who will play in his 11th NFL season. Manhertz has a reputation as a solid blocker and a good locker room presence. It made sense for the Giants to try and bring him back if they could.
March 8: The Giants are bringing back 27-year-old punter Jamie Gillan on a three-year deal worth $9 million with $4 million guaranteed. He can earn up to $400,000 in incentives each year (likely All-Pro/Pro Bowl selections) for a total value of $10.2M. Gillan just finished a two-year, $4 million deal, so he's earned himself a sizable raise.
Gillan will have cap hits of $2.1 million in 2025, $3.3 million in 206 and $3.5 million in 2027. The Giants can cut him after 2026 with just $667,000 in dead money.
March 8: The Giants announced on Saturday that they are brining back exclusive rights free agent Tommy DeVito. DeVito has been the Giants' least suspenseful free agent, with Schoen repeatedly referencing the New Jersey native as being the only quarterback under contract. That hadn't been technically accurate, as DeVito hadn't signed his exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) tender. But that's been taken care of now. His one-year, $1 million contract will carry no guaranteed money, so DeVito again will need to fight for a roster spot in an overhauled quarterback room.
March 7: The Giants will tender exclusive rights free agent Tomon Fox, according to a league source. It's a no-brainer to keep the quality backup OLB on a minimum one-year contract with no guarantees. Fox has played in 28 games since his rookie season (2022), tallying 39 tackles and two sacks. He's played at least 40% of the Giants' special teams snaps every season, including a career high 69% last season.
March 5: The Giants re-signed Kreiter on Wednesday. Entering this NFL season, the two-time team captain had signed nine straight one-year contracts, including the last six with the Giants. At some point, the Giants will need to find a new long snapper, but the 34-year-old Kreiter is still getting the job done.