March 11, 2026, 8:18 a.m. ET
One of the goals for the New York Giants this offseason was to upgrade the interior of their offensive line. That meant going out in free agency and finding either a veteran guard or center to fortify them up front.
So far, they’ve been able to do just about everything else. That veteran guard/center has not materialized — yet. The apple of their eye was former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, but they were blown out of the water by the Las Vegas Raiders, who signed Linderbaum to a ridiculous, three-year, $81 million deal ($27 million AAV).
Their efforts to find a guard have not been fruitful, either. The top six free agent guards signed thus far have gotten deals anywhere from $10 milllion to $15 million AAV. That has been a bit too rich for the Giants, and now they are backing off and refusing to overpay.
There are still some interesting names available for the Giants to go after. But as Raanan mentioned, the Giants appear to have the leverage now and are willing to wait.
Two names that perhaps won’t excite Giant fans are Greg Van Roten and Kevin Zeitler. Both are over 35, but both are still durable.
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Van Roten is the only Giants’ offensive player to play every snap the past two seasons. Zeitler has been with three teams since he left the Giants in 2021, but one of them has been the Ravens. He has not played fewer than 15 games in a season since 2014.
