New York Giants: Five possible salary cap casualties

4. Rhett Ellison, TE

Since signing with the New York Giants in 2017, Ellison has been a solid contributor. His blocking skills are well above average and he has 67 receptions for 674 yards and four touchdowns while playing in 40 of 48 possible games.

Ellison has the ability to be used in a variety of roles. In addition, he has been a reliable replacement when Engram has been out of the lineup and Engram has been out quite often. Is that worth a near $7.2M in 2020? Very unlikely. It’s a huge amount to pay for a back up tight end. Even if the G-Men part with Engram it’s hard to fathom paying Ellison that much. Big Blue is better off eating his $2.19M dead space hit and move on.

3. Antoine Bethea, S

When Antoine Bethea signed last year for two-years, $6.5M, not many thought he would stay both years. After all, the veteran of 14 NFL seasons will turn 36-years-old in 2020. That’s ancient for an NFL defensive back, but he’s still productive. Last year he played in and started all 16 games, a feat not shared by many of his teammates. Bethea made the best of his opportunity with 110 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and a pickoff.

The New York Giants are in a rebuild. They need to ask themselves which is more important, turning over the position to a younger player such as Julian Love or keeping Bethea and his leadership. If he stays, it’s a reasonable cap hit of $2.75M. Is that money better spent on someone who can be part of the team’s long-range plans?