Should the New York Giants give up on Evan Neal after two miserable seasons in the NFL? It’s hard to put together as bad a first two seasons in the NFL as New York Giants first-round right tackle Evan Neal has in 2022 and 2023.
The poor blocking numbers and injuries are one thing, but insulting the fanbase and looking completely lost on the field are bigger problems altogether. That begs the question — is Neal’s NYG career salvageable heading into 2024? And should the Giants give the youngster another opportunity to start in year three?
Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey answered no on both accounts during an article on January 29, arguing that Big Blue must consider cutting bait with Neal this spring.
“The No. 7 overall pick in 2022 has not lived up to expectations and has been part of an offensive line that allowed [Daniel] Jones and other quarterbacks to be sacked on a regular basis,” Tansey reasoned. “Giants quarterbacks suffered 85 sacks in 2023.”
“That number simply is not good enough if the Giants want to bounce back and qualify for the playoffs for the second time in three years under Brian Daboll,” the NFL writer went on. Concluding: “The Giants have all sorts of needs across the offense, but protecting Jones is paramount and that may lead to a total reconfiguration of the offensive front.”
The idea of cutting bait with Neal sounds easy on paper. In reality, it’s not so simple. As a top-10 selection in the NFL draft, Neal has financial guarantees that other prospects can only dream of. According to Over the Cap, the 23-year-old blocker is guaranteed approximately $2.937 million in 2024, and approximately $4.053 million in 2025. He also receives a $1.952 million roster bonus if he’s still with the organization on the third day of training camp in 2024, as well as a prorated bonus of almost $3.759 million each season.
Cutting Neal prior to June 1 would result in a massive dead cap charge that actually makes is less expensive to keep him around, while cutting him after June 1 isn’t much better. Needless to say, first-round selections are rarely released prior to their fourth season in the NFL — if at all. Trading Neal is a possibility. If the Giants were able to find a willing suitor, dealing the Alabama lineman after June 1st would make the most sense.
Over the Cap lists a minor dead charge of $3.759 million (the prorated bonus amount) for Big Blue each of the next two years if they were to trade Neal after that deadline. They’d actually save cap figures of $2.937 million in 2024 and $4.053 million in 2025.
