The New York Giants are tight on salary cap space. According to Over The Cap, they have just $1.1 million in total cap space following their busy offseason.
They also sit at -$9.3 million in effective cap space, which is the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster.
The Giants need to make moves to free up some money and get back under the salary cap. Once-promising tight end Daniel Bellinger could be among those on the roster bubble.
Daniel Bellinger has seen his role diminish
Daniel Bellinger once flashed great promise for the Giants. He played a crucial role in their offense during their 9-7-1 2022, taking over the starting tight end job as a rookie. However, since then, he has been phased out of the lineup and relegated down the depth chart.
Bellinger started 11 of the 12 games he played as a rookie. In 2023, he started only 13 of the 17 games he played, totaling just 25 receptions for 255 yards.
In 2024, the Giants drafted Theo Johnson in the fourth round, who, like Bellinger two seasons prior, earned the starting tight end job as a rookie. Bellinger resultingly saw his playing time decrease once again as he went on to catch just 14 balls for 125 yards across 17 games with only eight starts.
Could the Giants cut Bellinger to clear cap space?
The Giants are high on Johnson and believe he will break out even further in the second season of his career. Additionally, they drafted Thomas Fidone II in the seventh round this offseason, creating more competition in the tight end room.
Bellinger could find himself fighting for a spot on the active roster during training camp. If Bellinger is outperformed by both Johnson and Fidone during the summer, he could be on the outs.
Releasing Bellinger would save the Giants $3.4 million in cap space — a pretty significant sum.
This move would give the Giants more space to breathe and go a long way toward getting them in a comfortable position financially. For Bellinger, it’s a do-or-die summer.
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