One trade, cut and signing the New York Giants should make

After consecutive third-place finishes in the NFC East, New York clearly needs a better plan for 2024. With that in mind, here’s a trade, cut and signing the Giants should make. 

TRADE: The No. 6 overall pick

The Giants haven’t had the sixth overall pick in the draft since 2019 when they selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. That didn’t work out so well as many NFL experts believe the franchise could draft Jones’ replacement with their next first-round pick.

Without a trade, quarterbacks like USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels will be long gone before the Giants are on the board. If the Bears are satisfied with Justin Fields, their first overall pick should be the Giants’ main focus.

If they can’t make a deal with Chicago, the Cardinals could be an option at No. 4 overall. With a healthy Kyler Murray on their roster, Arizona can afford to trade down with a QB-needy team like the Giants.

At the moment, Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort is open to the idea of trading the pick, too. 

"We’re going to have the opportunity to sit there and pick who we deem worthy of the fourth pick," Ossenfort told Arizona Sports' Bickley & Marotta. "And if the phone rings and somebody’s got an offer for us to move up, move back, those are all things we’re going to consider.”

CUT: TE Darren Waller

The Giants gave the Raiders a third-round pick for Waller last offseason in what at the time seemed like a low-risk, high-reward move. Unfortunately, the oft-injured tight end missed five games in 2023, catching just 52 passes for 552 yards and a single touchdown.

Waller carries a $14M cap hit for 2024 but the Giants can save $11.6M if they release him after June 1. Given his recent production, the team would be better off drafting his replacement or signing another veteran tight end.  

SIGNING: WR Michael Pittman Jr.

New York finished the regular season with the NFL’s 31st-ranked passing offense, the second time they have done so in the past three years. Meanwhile, Pittman pulled down 336 catches for 3,662 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns from seven different starting quarterbacks since being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts.