The NY Giants have a number of free agents to deal with and names like Jason Pierre-Paul, Walter Thurmond and Antrel Rolle are options to return and this comes as the status of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is also up in the air and that could lead to the team using their top 10 draft pick on defense, with a player like Shaq Thompson coming up in early mock picks.
The Giants had a tough season and missed the playoffs for the third straight year, but hope is on the horizon, as Odell Beckham proved to be a star and Tom Coughlin was brought back for another season. The team has major questions though and in free agency the team will have to decide who to bring back and who to let go. The team has over 20 free agents, the most notable being JPP, Walter Thurmond and Rolle, who is called the "heart" of the defense.
--UPDATE: Perry Fewell has been fired, story here.
Pierre-Paul is the most intriguing of the three, as he has a major upside, is very young and is a player the Giants developed. According to ESPN.com, the team will consider using the franchise tag on JPP and that could allow the team take the time to work out a longer deal. Pierre-Paul had a bounce back season with 12.5 sacks and that came after he had just 8.5 sacks over the previous two seasons. JPP broke out with 16.5 sacks the year the Giants won the Super bowl and if they bring him back, they are hooping moving forward he is more like that player rather than the disappointment from 2012-13.
The team also has a major decision on Rolle, as he is a free agent after previously signing a five year contract. Rolle is likely going to have to take a pay cut and that could lead him to sign elsewhere. The team also has to consider Thurmond, as he was one of the top signings this year, but he ended up getting injured and played in just two games. The team expects to be improved on defense next season and getting a full year from Thurmond could help that. Thurmond signed a one year deal with the team and he will be 28 next season and the team now has to decide whether to bring him back or not. The team felt that Thurmond along with Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would make a great secondary, but all three dealt with injuries and the Giants are hoping for better in 2015.
According to the Daily News, Fewell is expected back and it comes after the Giants improved down the stretch on defense after a tough year. The team was not good this past season overall on defense, ranking 29th in yards per game and 23rd in points per game, but Tom Coughlin saw enough to try and bring him back. John Mara may have the final say, but right now it looks like he will be back.
The Giants need help on defense and that is why Big Blue View at SB Nation picks Shaq Thompson from Washington as the mock draft pick for the team. The Giants need help at linebacker and he proved he can handle that with over 50 tackles and four defensive touchdowns this past season.