Golden Tate

Will the New York Giants move on from Golden Tate after the 2020 season?

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New York Giants, Golden Tate

The New York Giants often seems to be far superior to their defense of unit, based on their number of playmakers. Talent like Saquon Barkley, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and Golden Tate all represent a bevy of options Daniel Jones can utilize in the pass and run game.

New offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will draw up a diverse game with plenty of pre-snap motion to distract opposing defenses and create more unpredictability. One player that will need to have a stellar season to remain with the Giants until 2022 is Golden Tate, who has an out after the 2020 season.

Tate has been one of the more effective and productive receivers after the catch over the past few seasons. Between the 2014-18 seasons, Tate lead the league in yards after the catch, showing off his versatility and shifty skill-set. He lead the category in three of the last four years during that time span. He also had the second-most third-down receptions since 2014, when he joined the Detroit Lions.

The Giants saw some of that playmaking ability in 2019 in his first year with the team, but Jones was young and inexperienced, which resulted in some poor throws and bad decisions. I believe he will have a more productive year in 2020, but age will begin to take its toll on his physical abilities. He will be 32 years old next season, and for a physical receiver that depends on his lateral mobility, he could soon begin to fall off, and the Giants have the leverage moving forward to release him.

If the Giants cut him after 2020, they will save $6 million in cap space. He has a projected cap hit of $11 million in 2021, and a dead cap hit of $5 million. That additional money could be utilized to address the pass rush or bring in another wide receiver with more talent. Ultimately, the Giants are going to have to allocate money toward the unit eventually, since Sterling Shepard is one more concussion away from potentially ending his career and Darius Slayton can’t handle the load on his own.

Alternatively, if the Giants have a tumultuous campaign, they could be in line to land Ja’Marr Chase out of LSU, one of the best wide receivers over the past few draft classes.

New York Giants Possess NFL’s Fastest Offense

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

In the NFL, speed kills. Luckily for the New York Giants, they have plenty of speed on offense.

The new-look New York Giants are heading into the 2020 NFL season with a new coaching staff. The roster, however, has stayed pretty much intact. The Giants rebuilt their offensive line this offseason but they did not add much to their skill positions. The offense, led by second-year quarterback Daniel Jones, will feature the likes of Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and others who were on the roster in 2019.

Recently, NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah did a study on offenses in the NFL. Jeremiah took the 40-yard dash times for every team in the league and projected their lineup in 11 personnel (1RB, 1TE & 3WR) for the 2020 season. He then ranked each team’s offense by their average 40-yard dash times.

The New York Giants came out on top in this study with the fastest offense in the NFL, based on average 40-yard dash times. At 4.42s, New York was a few ticks ahead of the competition, even proving to be faster than Tyreek Hill and the dangerous Kansas City Chiefs offense.

The Giants’ 40-Yard Dash Times

There are some true speedsters on the Giants’ offense. Darius Slayton ran a 4.39s 40-yard dash, Golden Tate ran it in 4.42s, and Sterling Shepard’s 40 time was 4.48s. Saquon Barkley, of course, lit up the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. There he posted a 4.40s 40-yard dash time. The one player, however, that likely separates the Giants’ offense from the rest of the league is Evan Engram. Engram ran a ridiculously fast 4.42s 40-yard dash in 2017, the second-fastest time ever from a tight end.

It will be exciting to see the Giants’ offense get to work in 2020. They have the speed to burn defenses and, now, the offensive scheme to move the football with Jason Garrett. Daniel Jones has plenty of weapons to drop dimes to next season and he will for years to come.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones Hosts Workout With Receivers In Texas

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants have a true leader in their newest franchise quarterback. After sixteen years with the legend Eli Manning, the Giants began a new chapter in 2019. Daniel Jones is now the face of the New York Giants, and so far, he has shown admirable leadership qualities.

Eli Manning’s offseason workouts at Duke were an annual tradition. Every year, Manning would rally the troops together and conduct workouts with Duke head coach David Cutcliffe. Daniel Jones is working hard to continue this tradition, though in a slightly different way.

The coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for professional sports to conduct offseason activities. Teams have been conducting minicamps virtually. Recently, though, things have begun to ease up. More and more states are reopening or partially reopening and moving into their first phases of return to normal life. Along with this, Daniel Jones has conducted some offseason training with his teammates.

The Texas Workouts

Daniel Jones “organized an off-site throwing and catching program with his skill players” the past two weeks. Jones and company came together in Austin, Texas, to get some work in. The Giants’ training facility is closed because of COVID-19, so The Giants players needed to find another location to practice.

According to the New York Post, “the arrangements were helped along by Colt McCoy,” who used his strong connections with his alma mater (University of Texas) to help Daniel Jones arrange these training sessions.

There was “a pretty good group of guys” in attendance. Among those guys includes wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton and tight end Kaden Smith. Additionally, Saquon Barkley, Golden Tate, Jonathan Hilliman, and Corey Coleman joined the quarterbacks in Texas. The Post also reports that there were “as many as 15-20 players participating at various points in time.”

The Giants have a new offense to learn this year. Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was hired this offseason to serve as the Giants’ offensive coordinator. The players in Texas spent time running routes designed by Garrett and discussing the concepts in the passing game.

This is one of many moments where Daniel Jones has already established himself as a leader of this football team. Last week, the 23-year-old released a statement in support of his teammates and the Black Lives Matter movement. This week, Jones has brought his teammates together to focus on football and preparing for the 2020 NFL season.

The Giants’ quarterback is a leader. At only 23-years-old, Daniel Jones has already impressed in that regard. On the field and off the field, Jones is proving to be an excellent man and teammate. Giants fans seem to be lucky enough to have another classy individual lead their team into battle once again.

New York Giants: Potential Cut Candidates To Free Up Cap Space Next Offseason

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New York Giants, Nate Solder

The New York Giants entered the 2020 free agency period with a ton of cap space. The team had around $80 million to spend. And spend it they did. After free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, the Giants are down to having less than $10 million in cap space for the upcoming season.

So what will the Giants do in 2021? Will they have enough cap space to upgrade their team and resign the likes of Saquon Barkley and others? The Giants are projected to have around $45 million in cap space next offseason. But they could make some cuts to free up even more cap space (stats via Spotrac).

2021 Cut Candidates

Nate Solder

The first and most obvious cut candidate for the Giants’ next offseason is Nate Solder. Solder was a player that some considered to be a cut candidate heading into this offseason. Ultimately, it looks as though the Giants plan on keeping the veteran offensive tackle around for at least another year. But if his play continues to disappoint, cutting Nate Solder in 2021 is a no-brainer. Solder is due to account for 9.81% of the team’s 2021 cap space with a cap hit of $20.5 million. Luckily for New York, Nate Solder’s dead cap is only $6.5 million next year, meaning they can save $14 million if they cut him.

Golden Tate

The Giants could also look to cut Golden Tate. Tate signed with the Giants just last offseason, but his stay in the New York/New Jersey area could be short. Tate is another player who carries a high cap hit next season and might not be living up to his salary (one could argue it either way). Golden’s cap hit in 2021 is at $11 million and his dead cap hit is only $5 million. If Tate’s age catches up with him or he fails to impress for any other reason, the Giants could save $6 million in cap space by cutting him after the 2020 season.

Kevin Zeitler

Another, more surprising name on the offensive line could appear as a cut candidate. The Giants’ best offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler’s contract is structured in a way that makes it very easy to move on from him after this season. That doesn’t mean they should move on from him, but if for some reason Zeitler’s performance bottoms out in 2020, the team could free up a whopping $12.5 million by cutting him. Zeitler’s cap hit in 2021 will be $14.5 million with a dead cap hit of only $2.5 million. Zeitler is only 30 years old, so he could end up getting a second contract with the Giants. But if the team does not consider him to be part of their future plans, they could move on from the former Cleveland Brown after this season.

New York Giants: Amani Toomer Harsh, Yet Accurate When Discussing Team’s WRs

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New York Giants legend Amani Toomer recently gave his take on the state of the Giants’ roster. Toomer, a Super Bowl champion, spoke to the New York Post and made headlines for what he said about the team’s playmakers. Amani Toomer referred to the Giants’ wide receivers as a “lacking” unit.

Amani Toomer was hard on the Giants’ receivers. His criticisms were harsh- but they were valid. Toomer’s statements were accurate. The Giants’ wide receivers are lacking. Toomer made a few more specific statements on individual players and most everything he said was true.

The Giants’ “Lacking” Wide Receiver Group

The Giants’ wide receivers heading into 2020 are Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Darius Slayton. This is a solid receiver corps, but it is indeed lacking. Mainly, the Giants are lacking a true number one receiver. That go-to guy for Daniel Jones to depend on all game is not there. Of course, New York had that but traded Odell Beckham Jr while his price was still high. That was a move that looked quite ridiculous at the moment but now seems to have been the smart move.

Regardless of whether or not the Giants were right to trade Odell, they are still lacking an explosive receiving threat. You could even argue the Giants’ best receiver is their running back.

Amani Toomer and I agree- there is potential in one of the Giants’ receivers to emerge as that true threat. Toomer said he thinks Slayton is the guy that “has the most upside.’’ Darius Slayton had an excellent rookie season. If he can take that next step in 2020 then he can blossom into a legitimate threat as New York’s number one wideout. But Slayton is more likely to thrive as a really good number two receiver.

Amani’s next criticism is again, highly accurate. When discussing the duo of Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard, Toomer stated, “I think Golden Tate is just a tougher version of [Shepard]. Basically they’re the same receiver, but Golden Tate is a tougher version of him.’’

Toomer tells no lies. Shepard and Tate are both similarly-sized slot receivers. Neither of them is particularly great at separating from defenders, but they both are sure-handed and reliable. Both receivers are explosive after the catch, Tate a little more than Shepard, though. Overall, Toomer is right. Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate are essentially the same players. One could argue that having two players so similar in the same offense creates dysfunction. Both of these players excel in the slot, but more often than not they are forced to alternating playing outside where they are less effective. This is something that the Giants will need to fix in the future to give Daniel Jones a more consistent offense.

Amani’s Peculiar Criticism Of Sterling Shepard

Amani Toomer did make one point that I do not necessarily agree with, though. When discussing Sterling Shepard, Amani said “I’m a little disappointed with Shepard, I don’t know.” He then continued, saying, “My dad always used to tell me, ‘He’s hell when he’s well, he’s just sick all the time.’ That’s what I think when I think of him. He’s just always, there’s always something hurt, or something.”

The reason I disagree with Amani here is that Shepard is not at fault for this. Sterling has not disappointed me by being concussed. Sure, he missed a lot of time in 2019 dealing with injuries. But those injuries were concussions that could have dramatic effects on Sterling’s long-term health. It’s not like he’s missing four weeks with a sore hamstring. He’s been dealing with bruises on his brain. In fact, Shepard, in my opinion, is one of the tougher players on the Giants.

In 2017, the Giants were ravaged with injuries. In the same game, Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Harris, and Sterling Shepard were injured. Beckham, Marshall, and Harris’s injuries were all season-ending. Sterling managed to recover rather quickly from his injury and come back three weeks later. It was a pretty nasty ankle sprain for Sterling, and in a completely lost season that ended in a 3-13 record. Sterling plays through injuries when he can.

Overall, Amani Toomer was harsh, but he was accurate. He gave his opinions and I do not agree with everything he said, but he is correct in stating that the Giants’ wide receiver corps is “lacking.” Hopefully, in a new offensive scheme, Daniel Jones and the Giants can get the best out of their receivers and find success on offense in 2020.

Should the New York Giants be worried about their wide receiver corps?

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New York Giants, Darius Slayton

A look at the New York Giants’ wide receiver corps and if we should be worried about them in 2020:

On paper, the New York Giants seem to have an adequate wide receiver corpse composed of veterans and new faces. They have a blend of slot receivers and boundary options that can make plays and extend drives.

However, none of them are categorized as elite, which reflects back to the Odell Beckham Jr. trade and how general manager Dave Gettleman supplemented his loss. Gettleman went out and signed Golden Tate, to a four-year, $37.5 million deal.

Following the 2020 season, Tate will be 32 years old and have a potential out in his contract. The Giants can cut him for a $5 million dead cap hit. Otherwise, they can retain him and pay him $11 million in 2021. Saving $6 million might be beneficial for the Giants who could look to add a better wide receiver in free agency or the NFL draft.

While Tate has been productive in some areas, he missed four games last season due to a PED suspension. He tallied 676 yards and six touchdowns, the most scores he has earned since 2015. However, his catch rate was the lowest it has been since his rookie season in 2010 (57.6%). He dropped three passes last season, notably against the New England Patriots in which he scored the first receiving touchdown against their defense through six weeks.

Aside from Tate, the Giants also have Sterling Shepard, who they signed to a four-year, $40 million deal in 2019. Shepard played in just ten games, suffering two concussions that have put his career at risk. He earned his lowest yards total through four seasons and scored three touchdowns on 83 targets. Shepard is a consistent receiver with solid hands, but if he sustains another concussion, he could be forced out of the game prematurely. One wrong move and the Giants could be without another talented pass catcher.

Looking to the outside, the Giants have second-year player Darius Slayton covering the position. Slayton had a stellar rookie campaign, earning 740 yards and a touchdown, leading the team in both areas. He only dropped 2.4% of his attempts, showing off solid hands after a problematic rookie minicamp. His 57.1% catch rate was a little low, and he could use an uptick in that category, but he showed the potential to be the Giants’ top wide-out for the foreseeable future. His chemistry with quarterback Daniel Jones will prove to be essential moving forward.

Overall, the Giants have a decent wide receive a corps going into 2020, but Shepard is on the verge of a career-ending injury, and Tate is not the same player he once was. A lot of expectation is riding on Slaton to produce and see a big jump in his second year, but I believe the unit in 2021 will be a bit different.

Projecting The New York Giants’ Top Roster Weaknesses In 2020

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New York Giants, Markus Golden

The New York Giants have rebuilt their roster over the past couple of seasons. They found their future franchise quarterback, Daniel Jones, in 2019 and revamped their offensive line in 2020. The future is bright for the New York Giants, but the rebuild is not complete. There are some legitimate strengths on their roster but also some glaring weaknesses. Today, I will break down those weaknesses heading into 2020.

The Pass Rushers

It is no secret that the Giants lack a premier pass-rusher. They have a chance at retaining Markus Golden before the season starts, but even still, the pass-rush with Golden was not fantastic last year. The Giants did sign Kyler Fackrell this offseason, though, and he should make an impact. But there still is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the group of pass-rushers on the Giants’ roster.

Lorenzo Carter did not take the leap forward that we expected him to last season. Oshane Ximinez flashed potential, and hopefully, he can build on that in 2020. But the pass-rush on the Giants’ defense is going to have to derive mostly from Patrick Graham’s scheme. Graham loves to blitz in creative ways to get after the quarterback. That is how the Giants are going to have to do it this year.

The Lack Of A Primary Receiver

The Giants have a core of talented receivers on their roster. Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Darius Slayton form a reliable group of receivers for Daniel Jones to throw to. But there is no X-Factor amongst the group.

That dominant, reliable, number one receiver can be so crucial for an offense. Don’t believe me? Let me refresh your memory of the Giants’ 2008 season. How bad was that offense after the Plaxico Burress incident occurred? They could not move the ball without that legitimate receiving threat. And it’s not like there were no other capable receivers on the roster. Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, and Dominick Hixon were all solid contributors. But they were not primary targets. They could not draw double teams and open up the offense the way that Burres could.

That is what we are looking at with the Giants’ offense in 2020. There is a lot of talent in that receiving corps, and there is a chance that Slayton could progress and become that primary threat. But, at this moment in time, that dominant number one receiver does not exist on the Giants’ roster.

Darius Slayton and Golden Tate both averaged only 2.2 yards of separation per catch. This number ranked near the bottom of the NFL. Sterling Shepard did manage to average a respectable 3.1 yards of separation, though. But still, Daniel Jones had a lot of tight windows to throw into last season and there is no sign that that will change in 2020.

Question Mark At Center

The Giants have options at the center position. There will be a three-way competition for the starting role. But there is no definitive answer at this point as to who will start at that key position.

Spencer Pulley, Nick Gates, and Shane Lemieux are all options at center. But there are cons with each of them. Pulley has never been an impressive starter, albeit he is a solid backup. Gates and Lemieux are both offensive guards that will look to make the position switch this season. Even if the switch is made successfully, there are bound to be growing pains along the way.

The Giants finally solidified their tackle positions, drafting Andrew Thomas at fourth overall and Matt Peart later in the third round. This gives the Giants the flexibility to move Solder to the other side of the line or have Thomas play his rookie season at right tackle. The options at that position make it a strength compared to the center position, where the options are slim and unreliable.

New York Giants: Does Golden Tate’s Contract Makes Him A Potential Cut Candidate?

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The 2020 NFL free agency period will begin in March. The New York Giants can be big spenders this year if they want to be. They are estimated by Spotrac to have over $69 million in cap space before they start trimming the fat and cutting veteran contracts.

One of those veterans that could be cut is their slot receiver, Golden Tate. The Giants signed Golden Tate to a four-year contract last offseason. After one season with the team, the Giants could look to move on from the 31-year-old receiver and get younger at the position.

Voided Guarantees

When the Giants signed Golden Tate in 2019, they gave him $22,950,000 guaranteed and an average annual salary of $9,375,000 (according to Spotrac). However, this guaranteed money has recently come into question.

Golden Tate missed the first four games of the 2019 NFL season as he was serving a suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. Because of this, the Giants have the option to void all guarantees in Tate’s contract. They could cut him and suffer no salary cap penalties if they choose to.

Cutting Golden Tate would take his $10.5 million 2020 cap hit off the books. An additional ten million dollars to spend in free agency could be enticing enough for the Giants to make this move. Despite the salary cap savings, the Giants would pay approximately $7.5 million in amortized signing bonus, which would essentially be dead cap if cut. 

Golden Tate’s 2019 Season

The Giants received stable production from Golden Tate in 2019. He played in 11 games and caught 49 passes for 676 yards and 6 touchdowns. But are these numbers good enough to keep him around?

It could be argued that 676 yards and 6 touchdowns do not warrant $10.5 million, but averaged out over a 16 game season the value seems to be present. Alternatively, the Giants could take that money and invest it into more significant positions of need, like cornerback or offensive tackle. However, the savings wouldn’t be significant after the $7.5 million in dead cap. Additionally, the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft features one of the strongest wide receiver classes in recent memory, so finding Tate’s replacement might not be too difficult.

Nonetheless, Golden Tate did form a reliable connection with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. With Jones entering his second professional season, keeping familiar faces around him will be necessary. Jones will need some continuity heading into a new season with a new coaching staff. Keeping Golden Tate could provide the continuity and dependability that Daniel Jones needs.

New York Giants have a No. 1 receiver blossoming before their eyes

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New York Giants, Darius Slayton

At the start of the 2019 regular season, both Golden Tate and Darius Slayton of the New York Giants sat out due to suspension and injury. Both would end up being impactful forces on the offense, but one of the two took his game to another level.

Slayton, a fifth-round rookie out of Auburn, exploded onto the scene, recording a rookie-high eight touchdowns on 740 yards, despite missing the first two games of the season.

New head coach Joe Judge served as the WR coach for the New England Patriots in 2019, which gives him a solid idea of what his unit needs to look like if they’re to succeed in 2020. Slayton offers a substantial head start, and we should expect Judge to work with the young pass-catcher diligently, especially if the Giants wish to extract WR1 value.

However, the upcoming NFL Draft offers tons of quality in the wide receiver department, and we should expect the Giants to dip their hand in the pot. They also have to make a decision on Tate, who voided all of his guarantees after testing positive for PEDs.

Tate caught 49 passes, averaging 4.5 receptions per game, which was his lowest amount since 2013. He did haul in six scores, tied for the second-most in his career. At 32-years-old next season, GM Dave Gettleman might consider Tate a cut casualty, considering his $10.5 million cap hit next season.

The New York Giants should be ecstatic about Darius Slayton:

Beyond Tate and Sterling Shepard, Slayton is the option with the most potential. His route running abilities improved significantly as his rookie season progressed. In college, he was known for his straightaway speed and WR screen abilities, but his development in the slant-game offered rookie Daniel Jones more opportunity in the passing game.

The chemistry developing between Jones and Slayton is one of the more critical factors here. Expect the pair to be lethal during 2020.

New York Giants’ Golden Tate reacts to inspiring Joe Judge press conference

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While the words of New York Giants’ head coach Joe Judge, most fans were ready to run through a wall, but it seems as if the players are also in the same boat.

Wide receiver Golden Tate was excited about the prospect of learning from Judge and finally building a winning team after suffering through another failure of a season with the Giants. Tate, who’s on a four-year, $37.5 million deal with an out after the 2020 season, logged solid numbers in his first season with Big Blue.

The New York Giants looked Golden Tate’s way a fair amount in 2019:

Daniel Jones’ rookie seasons saw him target Tate 85 times, completing 49 for 676-yards and six scores. This is after Tate missed the first four games of the season due to a suspension, but he will return next campaign in a full-capacity from the get-go.

However, Tate isn’t prepared to wait until next training camp to begin his refinement under Judge. He’s ready to go right now.

Via Instagram, Tate stated:

“After listening to his press conference who needs an offseason lets get to work next week 🙂 :)”

Judge’s detail-oriented approach and tough mentality should suit the Giants well, considering their lack of effort and mid-game breakdowns in the past. His insistence on playing tough football for 60-minutes is exactly what Tate and the other players wanted to hear, as he will not only lead a team into battle, but he will simulate live-scenarios during practice.

For most, this is the first time the Giants will host live-tacking drills in practice, working on a safe way to mitigate injuries and develop player’s fundamentals. Judge’s style is a mesh of Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, plus a little personal splash. That’s something to be excited about.