In just over two months, the Giants will have decisions to make on three key free agents: wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott.
There will be time to more thoroughly dissect the Giants’ cap situation and all of free agency, but for the purpose of this space, it’s important to highlight the receiver who just reached a milestone.
In the Giants’ 34-10 win at the Raiders last Sunday, Robinson became only the third Giants receiver in the last nine seasons to eclipse 1,000 yards. The others were Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018 and Malik Nabers in 2024.
According to the AP, Robinson is the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to reach the 1,000-yard mark since 5-foot-7 Richard Johnson in 1989, and just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
“It means a lot — a lot of hard work that went into this,” Robinson told reporters in Las Vegas. “I’m kind of always being told nobody would think that I would get to that point, so it feels really good.”
It’s a good thing, for Robinson’s sake, that he was able to hit that mark with his 113 yards in Las Vegas, because he won’t play in Sunday’s season finale against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium with a rib injury. His fourth NFL season ends with 1,014 receiving yards.
He’s not a No. 1-caliber receiver, but it’s become clear that the Giants have little choice but to pay him his market value in a new contract.
Because for as much as this 3-13 football team needs to turn the page next season with several new players, losing Robinson will make the task of building around Jaxson Dart that much more difficult.
It was a devastating blow to the rookie quarterback’s development when he lost Nabers to a torn ACL in his first start in Week 4. While Dart’s play-making willed the Giants to wins early on against the Chargers and Eagles, defenses adjusted and the Giants’ limited resources took their toll on the offense.
There is only so much — especially when primary weapons Darius Slayton and Theo Johnson are dropping key passes on a weekly basis — that a young quarterback can do.
So even when Nabers comes back next season, the Giants need to give Dart some help from free agency and the draft. They need a more legitimate pass-catching tight end. They need at least one more wide receiver, certainly two if they lose Robinson.
Some of Robinson’s production naturally came from an increased target share in Nabers’ absence — he had 30 percent of the Giants’ targets this season compared to 25 percent last season — but he grew in a few areas as well. His route-running and his ability to play on the outside, as opposed to more exclusively in the slot, made him easily the team’s most dynamic receiver or running back.
Johnson’s 528 yards are second-most on the Giants — just over half of Robinson’s production.
Keeping Robinson might require the Giants to pay somewhere in the ballpark of a four-year, $59 million contract, according to Spotrac’s market value.
One comparison is Bills slot receiver Khalil Shakir, who signed for four years and $53 million last February. Except that was a contract extension, whereas Robinson told The Trentonian in November that he was determined to hit the open market.
So the Giants have to be prepared to pony up, and it makes sense to do so for one of the few truly good assets from these last four years under GM Joe Schoen. After previously letting homegrown talents like Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinney and Julian Love leave and thrive elsewhere, it’s unlikely that Schoen — assuming he keeps his job as GM — wants that egg on his face again.
There are many impending free agents on this team, to be sure, that the Giants should wipe their hands clean of and move on as they rebuild under a new head coach next season.
Robinson, only the franchise’s third 1,000-yard receiver since 2018, is not one of them.
Greg Johnson covers the New York Giants and NFL for MediaNews Group. Reach him at gjohnson@trentonian.com.
Giants Gameday
The Game: Cowboys (7-8-1) at Giants (3-13), MetLife Stadium, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
The Line: Dallas by 3.5
History: The Cowboys lead the all-time series, 78-47-2, and have won nine in a row since the Giants’ last victory in January of 2021, which came in the Meadowlands.
Key Matchups:
Giants C John Michael Schmitz vs. Cowboys DT Osa Odighizuwa: Schmitz has allowed pressure on only 3.2 percent of his pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Reference. Odighizuwa has had a stellar season on Dallas’ interior with 23 QB hits.
Giants WR Darius Slayton vs. Cowboys CB Caelen Carson: Dallas’ depleted secondary is missing three corners. Plus, the Giants are without leading receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and tight end Theo Johnson. Slayton has only one touchdown and is due for a big game.
Giants OLB Abdul Carter vs. Cowboys RT Terence Steele: Carter has come on strong with 3.5 sacks in the Giants’ last four games, and Dallas’ sixth-year right tackle represents another good test for the Giants rookie to end the season.
Giants CB Paulson Adebo vs. Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb: The Giants are hurting in the secondary with safety Jevón Holland and No. 2 corner Cor’Dale Flott out for the finale, upping the importance of Adebo containing Lamb, who ranks ninth in the NFL with 1,073 receiving yards.
Injury Report:
Giants: OUT: CB Cor’Dale Flott (knee), S Jevón Holland (knee/concussion), TE Theo Johnson (illness), OL Evan Neal (neck), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (rib), DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (ankle/toe); QUESTIONABLE: WR Jalin Hyatt (illness).
Cowboys: OUT: G T.J. Bass (knee), RB Malik Davis (calf/eye), CB Shavon Revel (concussion/knee), RB Javonte Williams (neck/shoulder), LB DeMarvion Overshown (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: CB Josh Butler (knee), RB Phil Mafah (shoulder), DE Payton Turner (ribs).
Giant Facts: The Giants’ previous three season finales were against the Eagles, games in which they went 1-2. … The Giants’ 63 rushing yards allowed against the Raiders were the fewest they’ve allowed since Week 18 of last season against the Eagles. … The Giants are one of only eight teams with fewer than 20 passing touchdowns.
The Prediction: Cowboys 24, Giants 23