The NY Giants are coming into the season for 2014 with big changes and if Hakeem Nicks leaves as a free agent, wideouts Jeremy Maclin, Anquan Boldin, Golden Tate and Eric Decker will be options for the team and Jerry Reese may also look at drafting Andre Williams and using the franchise tag on Linval Joseph and Jon Beason.
The Giants had a very disappointing season in 2014 and part of that was due to the terrible play from Eli Manning, but he wasn't the only one at fault. The defense couldn't stop anyone until the end of the season and the offensive line was so porous that Manning barely had time to find his receivers all year. The drop in production and increase in turnovers forced the team to kick out Kevin Gilbride, okay he retired, and now they have a young offensive coordinator with a new plan in Ben McAdoo and that could help the Giants reach back to their glory days.
The team is in a tough spot with Hakeem Nicks and after dealing with the Victor Cruz contract situation and after he has been banged up the past two years and did not score a TD in 2013, he could be on his way out. The team could use the franchise tag on him, but they also have players like Linval Joseph and Jon Beason that are free agents and they may want to use it on them.
One thing that worked out for the Giants in 2013 was the trade of Beason, as he took over as leader of the offense for a seventh round pick and showed that he still has plenty in the tank. The team reportedly wants to sign him, but the money numbers could be an issue and the franchise tag could be a way around that, but the team also doesn't want to pay one player at linebacker $10 million, which is where ESPN.com reports the tag number could be.
Joseph has been one of the most consistent players for the Giants over the past couple years and he may be looking at $8 million per season on the market and the Giants could get out bid for him. The franchise tag will be expensive here as well and these two players will be the primary focus for Jerry Reese along with Nicks.
The team has some decisions to make and if Nicks leaves, they could go after names like Jeremy Maclin, James Jones, Eric Decker and Anquan Boldin as well as Golden Tate. The position is deep on the market and the team will need to focus on tight end as well after Brandon Myers was let go and was a disappointment. The draft has some options and so does the free agent market, while the Giants also need some upgrades at the RB position. David Wilson is now a question mark until he proves he can return from a neck injury and someone like Andre Williams could be an option in the draft after he rushed for 2,000 yards last season.
