5 bold predictions for the Giants' 2026 offseason

TheGiants head into the offseason coming off a four win season and without a head coach. General manager Joe Schoen has been retained, but what changes will be required to make the team more competitive in 2026 and beyond?

During the 2026 offseason, the Giants have options as they pick fifth in the draft and have plenty of cap flexibility with dead money coming off the books. They clearly need to improve in a number of areas, though.

With that in mind, here are some bold predictions for the Giants this offseason...

1. A coaching hire to reset expectations

The Giants need a new head coach and the biggest name on the market is John Harbaugh, who surprisingly became available last week after a parting of the ways with the Baltimore Ravens.

For Harbaugh, joining the Giants would be a different kind of challenge because he's had good stability in Baltimore for almost two decades. However, the allure of a high-profile franchise in need of someone to guide them back to prominence could prove enticing.

Forecasting that the Giants will hire Harbaugh may be the least bold of the predictions here, since the Giants are obviously one of the favorites to land him in the upcoming coaching carousel. However, this is no certainty because they face competition from multiple other teams vying to lure Harbaugh on board.

2. A major departure on the defensive line

After only recording half a sack last year, there may be some speculation that Dexter Lawrence could be a cap casualty, as his 2026 cap number will be an eye-watering $27 million. However, we're going to predict that another defensive lineman -- Kayvon Thibodeaux -- will be departing instead.

At the end of the season, Thibodeaux said he was looking forward to next season, but the Giants may have other plans with Thibodeaux set to earn a guaranteed salary of almost $15 million coming off a disappointing season. The fact that Abdul Carter had just half a sack in the 10 games Thibodeaux started but 3.5 in the seven games he missed could lead the Giants to think Carter will develop faster if he's not forced to split reps.

That guaranteed salary won't make Thibodeaux easy to move, and likely won't mean the Giants get much of a return unless they eat some of it via payment of a pre-trade bonus. However, there was reportedly interest at the deadline, so look for the Giants to at least try to shop him.

New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) runs with the ball after a catch in the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium / Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images

3. Wan'Dale Robinson to depart in free agency

Robinson soon became a favorite target of Jaxson Dart, and ultimately posted his first 1,000-yard season, despite missing the last game with a rib injury.

He heads to free agency having caught over 90 passes in back-to-back seasons, only six players have caught more passes over that span, and all of them are Pro Bowlers. Robinson could command a salary of $15-20 million on the open market, and it seems unlikely the Giants will commit to that kind of long-term deal with Malik Nabers set to return from injury.

4. Running it back in the secondary

The Giants made two big-money additions in the secondary last season with safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Abedo joining the fray. No doubt the hope was that these additions would stabilize a unit that already included some promising youngsters in Deonte Banks, Tyler Nubin and Dru Phillips.

However, all three of those youngsters regressed in 2025, and veterans like Cor'Dale Flott and Dane Belton proved to be more reliable. Flott and Belton are now out of contract, but the Giants may have concerns about being forced to rely on Phillips, Banks and Nubin even more. However, neither Flott nor Belton should be too expensive, so it would make sense to retain them.

New York can still hope for improvement from its youngsters, especially under new leadership, and will no doubt also seek to bolster the group through the draft.

5. Not running it back on the offensive line

The Giants are in a similar situation on the offensive line where right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor are both out of contract but could probably be retained at a reasonable price.

On this occasion they may look to get younger at this position, though, perhaps building a unit that can develop and grow with Dart at the helm. Marcus Mbow showed promise last season and could potentially compete for a role at right tackle, and it shouldn't be difficult to find a younger option at right guard than the 35-year-old Van Roten.

The pattern for the Giants' offensive line has typically been that when Andrew Thomas is healthy, that elevates the play of everyone else. Keeping him healthy, perhaps with additional veteran rest days during camp and in game weeks, will be a priority. If they achieve that, Big Blue could see an immediate upgrade and a brighter future on this unit.