The New York Giants didn’t have too many bright spots in 2024, but wide receiver/returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette was certainly one of them. USA Today Sports Giants Wire writer John Fennelly argued on his behalf on January 7.
“Finding a kick returner these days is one of the most difficult parts of building a respectable special teams unit,” Fennelly began. “The Giants got lucky with Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who played in 15 games and returned both punts and kickoffs, keeping the Giants’ young position players out of the line of fire.”
“[Smith-Marsette] opened some eyes with his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Indianapolis in Week 16,” the writer continued, concluding that “he should be brought back” in NFL free agency.
Smith-Marsette was strictly utilized as a returner with the Giants, but he impressed throughout the season with a ridiculous 34.6 yards per kick return — featuring the aforementioned touchdown. Although he had a little less success on punts, Smith-Marsette also averaged 7.9 yards per return in that regard, including a long of 25 yards.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette Shouldn’t Cost Giants Much to Retain in NFL Free Agency
A former fifth-round selection of the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, Smith-Marsette has never been handed a larger total amount than his initial rookie contract.
After bouncing around the NFL with a couple of other organizations, the Carolina Panthers eventually offered Smith-Marsette the most guaranteed money of his career in 2024, but even that was only $395,000 in guarantees according to Over the Cap.
Obviously, that one-year commitment didn’t last long as the special teamer quickly ended up in New York not long after training camp and the preseason.
The Giants signed Smith-Marsette to a $1.055 million contract after he was waived by the Panthers. He actually earned $996,389 of that deal — which equates to 94.4% and was the most earned money of his career — but Big Blue did not guarantee a single penny when he was signed.
In 2025, they might have to offer more guaranteed money, but they should be able to lock up Smith-Marsette on a one- or two-year deal with minimal risk of investment. Hopefully, that would then settle the returner role on the cheap, giving the Giants one less problem to worry about next season.
Giants Writer Highlights 2 More Special Teamers That Should Be Re-Signed
Along with Smith-Marsette, Fennelly also highlighted two more special teams players that “should” be re-signed. The first was punter Jamie Gillan.
“Jamie Gillan’s stats aren’t eye-popping by any stretch,” Fennelly wrote. “In fact, he had the lowest gross average in the NFL this year (43.7) but as we know, that number can be deceiving. Gillan punted 56 times over 13 games played and only 17 were returned. He put 27 punts inside the 20 and induced 25 fair catches.”
He concluded that “the Giants will likely check in on Gillan this offseason.”
Next up was long snapper Casey Kreiter, who’s certainly more of an unsung hero of the G-Men.
“Casey Kreiter’s age (34) might be a concern, but he’s one of the few stabilizing individuals on this roster,” Fennelly noted. “At the end of the season, he was the last captain standing. Reliable long-snappers are hard to find, too, so the Giants would do themselves a solid by bringing Kreiter back for another year.”
It feels likely that all three of these special teamers could earn new contracts in 2025. And perhaps one or two of them get a new deal before the start of free agency in March.
Gillan would be the main question mark of the trio, being that he missed time with injury in 2024. But that’d be the only real reason for the Giants to move on.
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