3 cornerbacks Giants could target in free agency

The Giants were able to get over their first major hurdle of the offseason last week when they inked Daniel Jones to a new deal, but Joe Schoen and company still have plenty of work ahead of them. That includes trying to improve the secondary before the start of the new season.

The Giants have $18.9 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com and if Kenny Golladay becomes a regular cut then that would increase to $25 million. The legal tampering period begins on Monday and free agents can officially start signing on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Here’s a look at a few cornerbacks that could be in the Giants’ sights once free agency opens.

Shaquill Griffin

The recently cut corner is back on the open market and the Giants could capitalize on a player looking for a bounce-back season. Griffin spent two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he appeared in 19 games, all of which he started, but missed a majority of last season due to a number of injuries including one with his back that required surgery.

Griffin showed flashes of what he could do during the end of his tenure in Seattle, where he played from 2017 to 2020. He signed a three-year contract with the Jaguars after that. As long as the Giants are confident there aren’t any lingering health issues, Griffin could provide them with an upgrade at corner and a player that still has a lot of football left in him at a decent price.

Cameron Sutton

The buzz has been growing around Sutton to the point that ESPN even named him one of the sleepers headed to the free agent market this offseason. He started 15 games last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a career-best three interceptions and was strong in man coverage.

Sutton is a top priority for the Steels to bring back, but it would appear he’ll get to the legal tampering period without a new deal in the Steel City. He’s coming off a two-year, $9 million deal and will see a sizable pay bump, but within reason. Spotrac projects him to make around $23 million on a three-year contract for his next deal, which would come in at a $7.6 million AAV.

That’s a pretty reasonable rate for a corner who is listed among the top 3 potential free-agent corners this year.

James Bradberry

Could a reunion between the Giants and Bradberry occur? Don’t rule the idea completely out.

Bradberry is coming off one of the best years of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles and he has sounded open to a return to New York. “Can’t make any promises, but I’m an open-minded guy,” Bradberry told reporters ahead of the Super Bowl last month.

He appeared in all 17 regular season games for the Eagles and was on the field for over 1,000 defensive snaps. Bradberry finished the year with 44 combined tackles, 17 pass breakups and three interceptions, which earned him second-team Associated Press All-Pro honors. Add on top of that he allowed only 46.8 percent of passes he was targeted on and had a 51.4 passer rating against.

All of that’s to say he would be a boost for the Giants secondary, but at age 30, he’s going to want a long-term deal and his estimated value via Spotrac is 3 years, $45.4 million. That comes to $15.1 million AAV, which would be steep for the Giants.