The New York Giants have begun clearing cap space with the release of veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph. What is their available space after the move?
The New York Giants are in the unenviable position of being over the 2022 salary cap and with a lot of roster holes to address.
The cap situation for the Giants led to some rumors regarding running back Saquon Barkley, who could be available this offseason for a trade if teams come calling.
In the meantime, the Giants have begun making other moves to get under the 2022 salary cap with less than two weeks before the 2022 NFL Free Agency legal negotiating window opens. The team has decided to part ways with 2021 free agent acquisition Kyle Rudolph.
New York Giants salary cap space after Kyle Rudolph release
.@Giants Fans thanks for taking me and my family in this past year! Certainly not the year any of us expected, but a year we will never forget.. We're appreciative of the Mara and Tisch Families for giving us the opportunity to be a Giant. pic.twitter.com/HSZzGGTXRI
— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph) March 2, 2022
In the 2021 season, at the age of 32, Rudolph caught 26 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown. He might not be scooped up by another team immediately, but if Rudolph wants to continue playing in 2022 and beyond, some team will undoubtedly add him to their roster eventually.
The New York Giants save $5 million in cap space with this move, pushing them closer to getting under the cap. This move makes them just $7.2 million over the cap instead of $12.2 million over the cap.
Although there is over $2.4 million in dead money, this move gets the Giants closer to being able to make some moves to upgrade the roster in 2022 free agency.
They have needs on the offensive line as well as off the edge defensively, and their current cap situation is probably going to result in a handful of additional salary cap cuts or trades.
They could save over $8.5 million if they cut linebacker Blake Martinez, but he also might be the type of player the new regime in New York would prefer to keep around.
There aren’t a ton of players on the Giants roster right now that look like easily identifiable cap cuts, which is why the trade rumors for Saquon Barkley have popped up.
If the Giants can add draft picks and cap space at the same time through trades, that’s obviously the preferred method to go about it. Kyle Rudolph may have been low-hanging fruit for the team and an expected cap cut, but decisions are about to get more difficult.