Jan. 31, 2026, 9:01 a.m. ET

As the 2026 NFL season approaches, the New York Giants have approximately $7.9 million (Top 51) to sign free agents. They will obviously need more if they are going to address all of the needs of the incoming head coach, John Harbaugh.

Here are five players the Giants may look to move on from to free up more salary cap space.

LB Kayvon Thibodeaux

The Giants can’t cut Thibodeaux, who is in the fifth-year of his rookie deal, which carries a $14.75 million cap hit. But they can trade him and absolve themselves of what’s left on Thibodeaux’s contract. That is, if they can find a suitor. The former 2022 first-round pick has missed significant time over the past two seasons with various injuries, and it’s anyone’s guess where he stands with Harbaugh and his staff.

WR Darius Slayton

One of the most senior Giants shouldn’t really be on this list because the team is thin at the wide receiver position. But Slayton’s contract versus his production isn’t jiving. Big Blue could cut Slayton this year, but the real savings would come after this season. He signed a three-year, $36 million deal before the 2025 season that has a club option after Year 2. He’s likely to stay, but if the Giants get a stud in the draft and re-sign Wan’Dale Robinson, they may creatively find a way to part ways with Slayton.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.RB Devin Singletary

There’s no negative to having ‘Motor’ on your roster. He’s a great compliment/supplement for any offensive backfield as a versatile change-up back. He is, however, a bit too expensive with a $6.5 million cap hit. The Giants can save $5 million by cutting him. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo will be ahead of him on the depth chart this summer, so it makes sense.

OL James Hudson

Hudson was inked to a two-year, $12 million deal last March to be a swing tackle. He was nothing short of a disaster and was benched after committing four penalties on the opening drive in a loss to Dallas. There’s little chance he sticks on a Harbaugh roster. The Giants can save approximately $5 million by cutting him.

K Graham Gano

Gano’s strength has always been his accuracy and durability, but both have waned in the past few seasons. The Giants’ special teams are expected to get a complete overhaul this offseason, so expect Gano to be gone and the Giants to gain approximately another $4.5 million in cap space.

LB Bobby Okereke

The Giants are already thin at inside linebacker, and Micah McFadden, returning from injury, is an impending free agent. That makes Okereke a potentially questionable cut, but the team could save $9 million in salary cap space by parting ways with the veteran, although they would also absorb a dead cap hit of over $5 million.