The New York Giants have overhauled their organization, and Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh is now steering the ship alongside Joe Schoen. Still, the nucleus of the Giants from the disappointing 2025 season remains, led by an exciting young signal caller, Jaxson Dart, who played less than a half of football with star wide receiver, Malik Nabers.
A healthy Nabers completely changes the potential of the Giants’ offense and will certainly put a massive smile on the faces of Matt Nagy and Chad Hall. Nagy, the new offensive coordinator, is an experienced coach who alternated play-calling during his tenure as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Hall is a 39-year-old former player who was the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Giants last season and the Jacksonville Jaguars coach in 2023-2024.
Hall is familiar with Wan’Dale Robinson, who is an impending free agent for the Giants, after a career year. We’ll start with Wan’Dale Robinson.
Wan’Dale Robinson, NYG
To bring him back, or not?! Robinson caught 92 of his 131 targets last year for 1,014 yards with four touchdowns. He operated out of the slot on 68% of snaps and was an important contributor who worked well with Jaxson Dart last season. He was a reliable underneath target, who displayed vertical ability; he recorded his highest yards per reception (11.0) and aDot (9.0) by a wide margin with Dart, Jameis Winston, and Russell Wilson last season.
Robinson has expressed interest in returning, but will another team outbid the 25-year-old Joe Schoen second-round draft pick? Robinson is represented by The Sports and Entertainment Group. Their clients include Stefon Diggs, Christian Watson, and Josh Palmer. Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5-million contract with $16.6 million fully guaranteed with the New England Patriots last offseason, while recovering from a torn ACL at the age of 32.
Palmer, who was less accomplished than Robinson at the time, signed a three-year, $29 million contract with the Bills that included $18 million guaranteed. The two receivers now have comparable production, though Palmer has an extra year of experience. Robinson, meanwhile, is coming off the best season of his career, while Palmer signed his deal following one of the least productive seasons of his career.
Christian Watson received a one-year $11-million contract extension after he tore his ACL at the end of the 2024 season. The extension was signed in September of 2025 and kept him under contract through the 2026 season. The raise Watson received when he signed the contract was for $5.25 million, and he’s set to just earn $5.75 million in his final year (2026). There could possibly be a holdout over that number, but that does not regard Robinson.
The floor for Robinson’s contract is the deal Buffalo Bills receiver Khalil Shakir signed prior to the 2025 season. The Bills gave Shakir a four-year, $53.1-million contract with $30 million guaranteed, an average annual salary of $13.3 million. The ceiling for Robinson may be the deal Jakobi Meyers just signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars — a three-year, $60-million contract with $40-million guarnteed ($20 million AAV).
I see Robinson earning a bit less than Meyers in total AAV, and the Giants could be placed in a tough spot if a team strongly covets his skill set, especially after allocating significant money to Slayton last offseason (set to make 5.26% of the Giants’ cap).
The negotiation with Robinson should be interesting. Even if Robinson is retained, the Giants need to add more help to the wide receiver room.
Alec Pierce, IND
Pierce makes sense if the Giants don’t re-sign Robinson, but still want to pursue an expensive wide receiver option. Pierce has led the league in yards per reception the last two seasons, and he’s coming off his best year. He caught 47 of 83 passes for 1,003 yards with six touchdowns and an insane 21.3 yards per catch, which was a full yard short of his 2024 total. He is one of the best deep threats in the league, and he’s excellent in one-on-one situations.
Daniel Jones and the Colts targeted Pierce 32 times in contested-catch situations, and he secured 14 of them — I would love to see the aDot on that specifically. He averaged 2.10 yards per route run and only dropped one pass last year. Pierce has secured 157 of 288 passes (54.5%) for 2,934 yards with 17 touchdowns.
Pierce is going to earn money, though. He may receive more than Robinson on the open market. Unfortunately for the Giants, Darius Slayton is supposed to fill the role that Pierce would inherit. Of course, they could co-exist, but the speed receiver who can win one-on-one outside would be valuable for Dart and a Greg Roman-led rushing attack that could feature a heavier box. Slayton failed with that role last year, but Pierce may still be too expensive for the Giants’ current cap situation.
Tyquan Thornton, KC
Speaking of productive deep threats — particularly one who could likely be signed for a fraction of what it would cost to sign Pierce — this option deserves serious consideration.
The 6-foot-2 wideout blazed a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash at the combine and delivered his most efficient season yet, totaling 438 yards on just 19 receptions with three touchdowns. Still only 25, he overlapped with Matt Nagy last season, giving this potential move some built-in familiarity.
If the Giants are looking for a cost-effective, relatively proven vertical threat who can immediately inject speed into the offense, Thornton — coming off a 23.1 yards-per-catch mark with the Chiefs — would be a strong value option at the right price.
Rashid Shaheed, SEA
The Giants’ special teams unit was turbulent last season, and Rashid Shaheed would provide an immediate upgrade for coordinator Chris Horton — especially if Gunner Olszewski is not re-signed. More importantly, Shaheed’s elite speed and big-play ability as a receiver would represent a significant boost for Jaxson Dart and the offense.
After being traded to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10 from the New Orleans Saints, Shaheed played a key role in Seattle’s run to secure the Super Bowl, showcasing exactly the type of explosive impact the Giants currently lack opposite of Malik Nabers. Shaheed is just 27 years old, coming off a 62 catch (99 targets), 765-yard season with just two touchdowns. Shaheed will be cheaper than Robinson or Pierce, and could be a solid consolation for New York.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC
I’m not including JuJu Smith-Schuster solely because of his familiarity with Matt Nagy, but also as a potential depth slot option if the Giants decide not to re-sign Wan’Dale Robinson. Smith-Schuster isn’t the most dynamic receiver at this stage of his career, but at 29, he remains a dependable 11-personnel piece who can block effectively from the slot. Over the past two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, he has totaled 55 receptions on 73 targets for 652 yards and three touchdowns.
Realistically, after investing in Darius Slayton last offseason, the Giants may prioritize wide receivers through the draft while bringing in cost-effective veterans to compete for the final receiver spots. Smith-Schuster fits that mold — an affordable option who can handle slot snaps or shift outside if the team wants to utilize a power-slot look with Malik Nabers, similar to how Kansas City deployed Rashee Rice.