Getty New York Giants guard Jon Runyan was deemed to be one of the most overpaid players in the NFL.
The New York Giants had two representatives on Vinnie Iyer’s 2024 “all-overpaid” roster, which was published with Sporting News on June 12. They were new offensive guard Jon Runyan and veteran kicker Graham Gano.
Iyer criticized Big Blue for overspending on a “fading former [Green Bay] Packer” in free agency when naming Runyan to the team. The Giants signed the sixth-round pick turned starting guard to a three-year, $30 million contract this spring, but they did so after the Packers seemingly began replacing Runyan last year.
2022 third rounder Sean Rhyan started stealing more and more snaps from Runyan down the stretch according to Pro Football Focus. The final four weeks Rhyan played on 29 offensive snaps or greater with 42 more coming over two postseason outings.
As for Gano, Iyer reasoned that the 37-year-old kicker “has limited range and has started to become less reliable on field goals” over the past few years. That argument holds up if you’re looking at the former Pro Bowler’s 2023 campaign (64.7% field goals made), although Gano appeared to be battling through injury a season ago.
He held an FG percentage over 87.0% during his first three campaigns with the Giants, including two years that were 90.0% or higher.
Will Jon Runyan Help Giants OL Improve?
Upgrading the offensive line was priority number one for the Giants this offseason and some have questioned whether the NYG front office did enough. Runyan will have a huge hand in answering that question.
The interior blocking acquisition was the Giants’ biggest addition on the OL this spring, with Jermaine Eluemunor making less money per year in free agency. After those moves and a couple others, general manager Joe Schoen curiously passed on the position altogether in the draft.
That means the Giants better hit on the Runyan and Eluemunor signings.
Runyan has never been graded out well as a run blocker throughout the course of his career. In fact, PFF has given him a run blocking mark in the 50s every season that he’s been in the league.
As a pass protector, Runyan’s efficiency dipped a bit in 2023. He was also penalized six times last year — which was the highest number flags of his NFL tenure.
The Giants are betting on several bounce-back campaigns on the offensive line in 2024, starting with draft picks Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal and John Michael Schmitz. Add Runyan to that list, and it’s no wonder pundits are doubting whether Big Blue has improved their blocking unit.
2024 Will Likely Be Graham Gano’s Final Season With Giants
Similar to Runyan, the Giants are hoping that Gano can turn in a solid campaign at age 37, even if it’s his final year with the organization.
According to Over the Cap, Schoen and company can cut the veteran kicker loose in 2025, saving $4.415 million as a post-June 1 release. If Big Blue feels the need to get Gano off the books earlier than that, they can also cut him at the start of free agency and free up $3.165 million.
Either way, it’d make sense for this to be the final season that the Giants rely on Gano, considering his age and cap hit.
The question is whether or not he can deliver when called upon. Gano has always had a strong leg, but he’s been inconsistent with his accuracy throughout his career.
After recovering from season-ending knee surgery this offseason, there’s no guarantee Gano will be the same kicker that he once was in 2024.