New York Giants minicamp is just around the corner, and after that, training camp and the preseason are on the horizon.
The Giants did their best to bring in competition at just about every position ahead of a make-or-break campaign in 2025, and said competition could be worrisome for recent draft picks who have yet to solidify themselves as starters.
Especially those who are beginning to make more money due to proven performance escalators and playtime incentives.
“[Giants general manager Joe] Schoen has made a habit of squeezing players who earned proven performance escalators for pay cuts around cut day,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan noted on May 21, while discussing Big Blue’s cap space. “[Darius] Slayton took such a pay cut in 2022; cornerback Darnay Holmes did the same in 2023.”
“There are three potential candidates in that category this year,” the NYG beat reporter went on. “Cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, tight end Daniel Bellinger and linebacker Micah McFadden.”
“As Day 3 picks in the 2022 draft who played at least 35 percent of the Giants’ snaps in their first three seasons, all of those players earned a raise in their base salary from $1.1 million to $3.4 million,” Duggan explained. “The way for those players to avoid a pay cut is to seize a valuable role. That’s how cornerback Nick McCloud staved off a pay cut until midseason last year.”
According to Duggan, McFadden has likely done enough to avoid a pay cut, and Flott is on the borderline, but should have leverage so long as he wins a top-four CB job in training camp.
Bellinger, on the other hand, is in “the most perilous position,” per Duggan.
Giants Replaced Daniel Bellinger Twice in 2024
After a promising rookie season derailed by injury, Bellinger — a former fourth-round selection — has pretty much slid down the depth chart into irrelevance.
In 17 appearances in 2023 compared to 12 appearances as a rookie, Bellinger recorded 13 fewer receiving yards. That regression led to the Giants replacing the tight end not once, but twice in 2024.
“Theo Johnson took over as the No. 1 tight end as a rookie last season, while the Giants re-signed Chris Manhertz, who has a clear role as the team’s top blocking tight end,” Duggan reminded within the article.
“That leaves Bellinger as the No. 3 tight end,” the reporter continued. Predicting: “While he has value in that role, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Schoen squeeze Bellinger for a pay cut to pick up $2.3 million in cap space before the start of the season.”
With newcomers Johnson and Manhertz overtaking Bellinger on the depth chart last year, and Schoen recently bringing in flyers like ex-Denver Broncos third-round talent Greg Dulcich, 2025 seventh rounder Thomas Fidone II and undrafted prospect Jermaine Terry, there’s no guarantee Bellinger will even make the 53-man roster without a strong summer.
Giants Must Be Ruthless at 2025 Roster Cutdown
In the past, the Giants have cut struggling draft picks some slack or kept veteran team leaders despite a decline in play, but none of that can happen in 2025.
For Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, there is no longer any room for error. And they must be ruthless at the roster cutdown later this summer.
The stage is set for several camp battles, so let those competitions decide the roster.
If a wide receiver like Jalin Hyatt is a no-show, move on. If someone like Bellinger fails to win a job, keep the player who does.
There can be no “scholarships” in 2025. Otherwise, the entire roster could be in for another overhaul in the event Schoen and Daboll fail.
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