Giants Ojulari Not Moved At Trade Deadline: Franchise Tag Next?
The NFL Trade deadline has passed, and New York Giants edge rusher and linebacker, Azeez Ojulari, is still on the team. Given the Giants 2-7 start to the season, they were expected to be sellers at the deadline, and Ojulari was a likely trade candidate. He is only 24 years old, and will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Rumors are out there, that the Atlanta Falcons were extremely active in trade talks with the Giants, to acquire Ojulari. He played for the Georgia Bulldogs in college, before New York selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft (50th overall). A homecoming of sorts would make sense, especially since the Falcons are lacking at edge rusher.
Taking into account his age, contract status, and the fact that the Giants refused to trade him for less than a king's ransom, is it fair to speculate that the team will use the franchise tag on Ojulari after the season? It is likely they would want to keep a productive member of their defense, as Azeez meshes well with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux in the front seven.
Depending on how the league chooses to classify Ojulari, his franchise number may be a bit excessive. The tag is generally the average salary of the top five highest paid players at a given position. The average of the top five edge rushers is $28.7 million, while the average of the top five linebackers is $17 million. Once that is decided, it's a matter of what Ojulari, or better yet, his agent, think the Sam linebacker is worth.
Azeez has been productive but not dominant, and he's had injury issues. No ability is more important than availability, and he's been lacking in that department. He only played 7 games in 2022 and 11 games last season. His 17-game averages are good, but not even comparable to the top edge rushers in the league (half the tackles for loss, half the sacks, and half the QB hits).
Even if Ojulari is franchise tagged as an edge rusher for one year and $28.7 million, the team doesn't necessarily have to pay him that as an average annual salary. A realistic contract for the Giants Ojulari is probably a three year deal, with an AAV around $20 million. If they can work out a deal, the $28.7 million tag will just be applied to Ojulari's guaranteed money.
New York is currently projected to have $48.5 million in cap space next season, and after they designate Daniel Jones as a post-July cut, they will have roughly $79 million in cap space. This means they can give Ojulari the $20 million, and still have the funds to address the offensive and defensive lines during the 2025 free agency period. Quarterback, Edge, and Running back (other areas of need next year) will most likely be filled via the 2025 NFL Draft.