NFC Notes: Giants, Lions, Packers, Aaron Rodgers

Giants

The Giants have 18 impending unrestricted free agents on their roster, including QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley. GM Joe Schoen said that they intend on keeping players who they view as “known commodities.” 

“There’s a risk to any big contract. Anybody can go out there and get hurt at any position. I think that’s risk-reward,” Schoen said, via GiantsWire. “The good thing about, I feel, extending people in-house (is that) you know their work ethic. You know their durability. You know their injury history. You know how they train. You know how they practice. So, in terms of eliminating some of the margin for error, it’s a known commodity. We’ve got some guys that are good players that are currently UFAs. These are known commodities in-house that we know intimately from being with them for a year. And we’ll see who we want to bring back throughout these meetings and what their market value is going to be based on our analysis. Again, if we can bring some of our own back, we will, mixed with guys outside the building. We’ll look at that. Ideally to me, the known commodities that are good football players that you know, that’s going to be our priority first. And then we’ll look outside the building, if we need to, to supplement the roster.”

Schoen added that they must evaluate their free agents and where they are with available salary cap.  

“We’d like to have all the guys back, I really would. But there’s a business side to it. There are rules that you need to operate under in terms of the salary cap,” Schoen said. “Everybody is going to step back, take the emotion out of it, evaluate the roster and then we’ve got to operate under the salary cap. How are you going to divvy up? How are we going to create the roster?”

• Regarding the Colts’ scheduling a second interview for Giants DC Wink Martindale for their head coach job, Jordan Raanan reports that there are still scenarios where Martindale remains with New York.
• Raanan writes that the Giants could pay Martindale on the scale as a head coach in order to retain him. 
• An NFL GM tells Jason La Canfora that the Giants should franchise QB Daniel Jones this offseason to buy time before committing a long-term deal to him.
• The franchise tag would cost the Giants around $30 million fully guaranteed for the 2023 season.

Lions

• Lions WR Kalif Raymond earned over $1 million in incentives and escalators this past season. (EnterSports Management)

Packers

While all the buzz as of late has centered around the Jets, Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post believes the Raiders are the best fit for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers this offseason.

“If Brady is in San Francisco, then I think Rodgers goes to Vegas,” a GM tells La Canfora. “I don’t see him in New York.”

There’s the obvious connection to Davante Adams and La Canfora believes it would not cost more than a “mid-round pick” to get Rodgers from Green Bay.