8 impending free agents Giants should re-sign​on January 7, 2025 at 3:51 pm

Jamie Gillan’s stats aren’t eye-popping by any stretch. In fact, he had the lowest gross average in the NFL this year (43.7) but as we know, that number can be deceiving. Gillan punted 56 times over 13 games played and only 17 were returned. He put 27 punts inside the 20 and induced 25 fair catches. The Giants will likely check in on Gillan this offseason.

Casey Kreiter’s age (34) might be a concern, but he’s one of the few stabilizing individuals on this roster. At the end of the season, he was the last captain standing. Reliable long-snappers are hard to find, too, so the Giants would do themselves a solid by bringing Kreiter back for another year.

Technically, Dyontae Johnson is not an unrestricted free agent. He’s an exclusive rights free agent. He can really only sign with the Giants, unless he’s not tendered an offer. But don’t expect that to happen. They like him a lot and we got a glimpse of what he can do in the team’s season finale last Sunday. We expect the Giants to tender him.

Retaining Tommy DeVito is a no-brainer. He’s also an ERFA and with Brian Daboll and the coaching staff returning, it only makes sense to bring back a player who knows the system. Last year, DeVito — after his short flirtation with fame — spoke about playing elsewhere but he didn’t create the same spark this season to pique the interest of other clubs. What the Giants do here at quarterback with Drew Lock and in the draft will impact their plans with DeVito.

Finding a kick returner these days is one of the most difficult parts of building a respectable special teams unit. The Giants got lucky with Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who played in 15 games and returned both punts and kickoffs, keeping the Giants’ young position players out of the line of fire. He opened some eyes with his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Indianapolis in Week 16. He should be brought back.

Chris Manhertz is mainly a blocker, but he’s a good one. He can also handle the ball if needed. Manhertz was available for all 17 of the Giants’ games this season (a rare feat for this team) and won’t cost them too much to keep.

Dante Miller spent the majority of this season on the practice squad, getting lost in the shuffle behind Devin Singletary, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Eric Gray. “Lil Turbo,” as he is known, is still very much on the team’s radar and they will likely add him back to the 90-man preseason roster and get him back into the building.

The Giants’ wide receiver room is filled with young studs and Darius Slayton was on board as the resident veteran. The Giants may not feel they need Slayton any longer now that Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson have established themselves. The other variable here is Jalin Hyatt, who has been rumbling about his underuse. Slayton will be back if he’s reasonably priced.