Are the Giants freeing up space to give Pierre-Paul long-term deal?
With less than four weeks to go before the NFL's free-agent market opens up, the New York Giants have begun clearing out the gutters to perhaps make a run at keeping a key contributor.
Veteran offensive weapons Victor Cruz and Rashad Jennings were released Monday, freeing up about $10 million in cap space for the 2017 season.
The biggest name the Giants need to worry about keeping is defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who just finished a one-year, prove-it deal and does not want to sign another short-term contract.
Pierre-Paul proved that he can still produce despite badly injuring his hand in a 2015 fireworks incident. The 28-year-old had 53 tackles, seven sacks, and three forced fumbles through 12 games in 2016.
NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo said Monday that he expects the Giants "to make a legitimate run in the coming days and weeks" in order to lock him up before the free-agent negotiating period starts March 7.
The argument makes sense as the Giants now have about $34.6 million in cap space and Pierre-Paul proved to be an import piece of their front seven alongside 2016 free-agent additions Damon Harrison and Olivier Vernon. The fourth member of the Giants starting defensive line, Johnathan Hankins, is also set to be a free agent.
Related: Giants' Harrison calls for Pierre-Paul, Hankins to be re-signed
After the Giants had the league's worst defense in 2015, those four linemen created enough havoc in opposing backfields to make the defense a top-10 unit. New York's front office should be doing whatever they can to keep the group together for another Super Bowl run before quarterback Eli Manning ends his career.