The New York Giants have been busy all offseason long, but they have continued to make moves, even in the wake of the 2026 NFL Draft. There’s a lot of optimism surrounding the Giants ahead of the upcoming campaign, and it’s clear that the front office is intent on doing whatever it can to help ensure the team wins as many football games as possible.
At this stage of the offseason, salary cap space isn’t as important as it once was, but it is important for front offices to have room to navigate when it comes to potentially adding players down the line. With that in mind, New York opted to make a $6.5 million move involving star offensive lineman Andrew Thomas‘ contract in order to free up some more cap space.
Giants Free Up $6.5 Million in Cap Space with Andrew Thomas Move
New York selected Thomas with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and when he’s been on the field, he’s been one of the better left tackles in the league. The problem is that injuries have limited Thomas, as he’s missed 22 total games over the past three seasons. Prior to that, Thomas earned a spot on the All-Pro Second Team in 2022.
Even with his aforementioned injury concerns, Thomas managed to earn a massive five-year, $117.5 million contract extension from the Giants. While Thomas has been worth it when he’s on the field, his inability to consistently suit up for New York has been troubling. Even then, Thomas couldn’t reach the same heights he hit in 2022 when he suited up in 13 games last year.
Teams have become skilled at finding ways to circumvent the salary cap in order to create space in the present, and one way to do that is by converting a player’s base salary into a roster bonus. That’s precisely what the Giants’ front office did with Thomas on Thursday, as it managed to free up $6.5 million by restructuring his deal.
“Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas restructured his contract Wednesday, creating $6.46 million of added salary cap space for the team this year. Thomas converted his base salary to a roster bonus to make the space,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X.
Giants’ Front Office Gets Big Boost as a Result of Andrew Thomas Restructure
GettyThe New York Giants need left tackle Andrew Thomas to be fully healthy again in 2026.
As of late, the Giants have shown a strong desire to beef up their interior defensive line, which makes sense considering how they traded Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. In order to bring in the sort of players it wants, New York needs money, which is why this under-the-radar move is so important.
While the salary cap relief is the most important part of this move, the Giants are going to need more from Thomas in 2026. Staying healthy is going to be crucial, as New York will be aiming to make life as easy as possible for Jaxson Dart under center. Having Thomas at his disposal is one of the easiest ways to accomplish that goal, which is why his status looms so large heading into the new season.
Giants Quietly Agree to $6.5 Million Move During OTAs