The New York Giants showed their belief in and commitment to wide receiver Victor Cruz this week but the ink was not even dry on his contract before talk began of the other tough salary cap calls the Giants are going to be forced to make in the next couple of years according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
Looming next offseason will be the Hakeem Nicks situation. Nicks is due a new contract before the start of the 2014 season and will likely cost more than Cruz. However the Nicks contract situation ends, this time next year people will be talking about superstar defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul who will be due a long-term deal if he is to remain a Giant. What complicates the decisions is the salary cap impact of quarterback Eli Manning. Manning is scheduled to cost the Giants $20.85 million against this year's cap, $20.4 million against next year's, and $19.75 million against the 2015 cap. The Giants don't regret making that financial commitment to Eli, who has rewarded the organization with unquestionable leadership and Superbowl rings, but the fact remains that no other QB in the league has as high a cap number in 2013 in Manning and it leaves the team with less money to structure its roster. Contrast this with the buying power of teams with low-cost QB options like Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, and RGIII.
The Giants will get some relief at the end of the season with the expiring contracts of Justin Tuck and David Diehl. But players such as Chris Snee, David Baas, Mathias Kiwanuka and Antrel Rolle carry massive 2014 cap numbers and probably all can't be kept. Each of these players are valued starters and would have to be replaced more cheaply while the agents for Nicks and Pierre-Paul are playing "Show me the Money". The Giants are not alone in their dilemma-look at what the Cowboys are paying Tony Romo. But not every pending free agent is going to have the same happy ending as Cruz.
Looming next offseason will be the Hakeem Nicks situation. Nicks is due a new contract before the start of the 2014 season and will likely cost more than Cruz. However the Nicks contract situation ends, this time next year people will be talking about superstar defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul who will be due a long-term deal if he is to remain a Giant. What complicates the decisions is the salary cap impact of quarterback Eli Manning. Manning is scheduled to cost the Giants $20.85 million against this year's cap, $20.4 million against next year's, and $19.75 million against the 2015 cap. The Giants don't regret making that financial commitment to Eli, who has rewarded the organization with unquestionable leadership and Superbowl rings, but the fact remains that no other QB in the league has as high a cap number in 2013 in Manning and it leaves the team with less money to structure its roster. Contrast this with the buying power of teams with low-cost QB options like Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, and RGIII.
The Giants will get some relief at the end of the season with the expiring contracts of Justin Tuck and David Diehl. But players such as Chris Snee, David Baas, Mathias Kiwanuka and Antrel Rolle carry massive 2014 cap numbers and probably all can't be kept. Each of these players are valued starters and would have to be replaced more cheaply while the agents for Nicks and Pierre-Paul are playing "Show me the Money". The Giants are not alone in their dilemma-look at what the Cowboys are paying Tony Romo. But not every pending free agent is going to have the same happy ending as Cruz.