Giants’ rebuilding project continues with trade of All-Pro Harrison
In the face of ignominy, there is no easy way out. The Giants denied their destiny last offseason. A new regime operated with unrealistic optimism, because tedious rebuilding and inevitable losing are never desirable in a major market.
Reality, though, has finally bred realism in the Meadowlands. After last season’s 3-13 debacle and a failed reclamation project that will soon be the Giants’ (1-6) fifth losing season in six years, a proud franchise has swallowed its pride and stopped fooling itself. New York is starting over. The Giants traded All-Pro nose tackle Damon Harrison on Wednesday to the Detroit Lions for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick. The move comes one day after New York dealt cornerback Eli Apple to the New Orleans Saints for two draft picks in 2019 and 2020. And fans can be sure that general manager Dave Gettleman is far from finished before the Oct. 30 trade deadline.
“We were presented with some deals. We made a couple trades and we’re moving on,” head coach Pat Shurmur said. “For the guys that play those positions, it gives them the opportunity to get more reps and show us what they can do, so I’m looking forward to seeing what our guys can do. We’re always looking for ways to improve the roster.”
But even acceptance of their fate comes with harsh truths for the Giants. Harrison, despite being arguably the NFL’s top runner stopper for several years, recouped merely one back-end draft pick. That is his market value because Harrison turns 30 next month and is owed approximately $4.6 million for the rest of this season and $15.75 million over the next two years.
He is not young, he is not cheap and his dominance is one-dimensional, given that Harrison has played only 54 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps this season in a passhappy league. But the longer the Giants waited, the higher the risk that they would eventually have to cut Harrison and receive nothing in return.
The Harrison and Apple deals clear about $7.1 million in cap space next season with $5.5 million in dead money, according to Spotrac. New York is currently positioned with the 18th-most 2019 cap space ($33.1 million). Quarterback Eli Manning is slated for a $23.2 million cap hit, but the Giants will save $17 million if he is traded or released.
Manning said Wednesday no one in the organization has approached him about the possibility of a trade.
“It’s just not something I’m thinking about,” Manning said. “I’m thinking about playing for the Giants this week against the Washington Redskins. That’s the mindset. I’m just not — I haven’t brought myself to think about another scenario.”
The Giants also now have nine picks in next April’s draft — three coming from New Orleans, Detroit and Minnesota.
Another reason it made sense to trade Harrison is because the Giants have an influx of young defensive tackles. Dalvin Tomlinson, a 2017 second-round pick, and B.J. Hill, a 2018 thirdround pick, have performed well. New York has the option of activating fifth-round rookie RJ McIntosh, who returned to practice last week, from the non-football injury list within the next two weeks.
“Snacks is a great guy,” Tomlinson said of Harrison. “I’ve learned a lot from him on and off the field. He’s just a great role model. It’s going to be slightly different not playing next to him, I feel like, but like I said, it’s the nature of the game.”
Some other trade candidates are cornerback Janoris Jenkins, linebacker Olivier Vernon and strong safety Landon Collins.
Finding a trade partner for Jenkins is more feasible than Vernon because while both have two years left on their contracts, Jenkins’ carries about $10 million less. And for the Giants, Jenkins has played hardly like the All-Pro corner he was in 2016 — his first year with the team.
Collins likely presents the greatest potential return, but he’s only 24 years old and thus could be part of the Giants’ future. He will be a free agent in March, so the Giants would have to either use the franchise tag (around $12 million for one year) or sign him to a lucrative long-term deal.
That is not an easy decision for Gettleman, who has already proven to be a questionable hire given that he miscalculated the roster over the winter and began the rebuilding process several months late.
But nevertheless, the Giants are finally accepting their reality.
“My concern obviously is getting the team ready to play this week and beyond, but we all know there are short-term and long-term things that go on,” Shurmur said. “The ‘giving up on the season’ narrative, I think, is disrespectful to the guys in the locker room. This is an ultimate team sport and teams have ways of dealing with things. No, (the players) didn’t have any questions.”