NFL Roster Rumors: New York Giants Might Pursue Graham Gano In Free Agency
The New York Giants are reportedly keeping a very close eye on one of the top kickers in the National Football League (NFL).
According to NJ Advance Media's Dan Duggan, the Giants are reportedly planning to pursue Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano once the league's legal free agent tampering period starts on March 12.
New Giants general manager, Dave Gettleman, has worked with Gano before during his tenure as the Panthers general manager from 2013 to 2016, and he was running the team when Gano signed a four-year, $12.4 million contract extension in 2014.
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This move is plausible because of their familiarity with each other. However, it should be noted that Gano may not enter free agency at all if the Panthers place a franchise tag on him before the March 6 deadline.
"The only potential catch is that the Panthers could prevent Gano from reaching the open market. The NFL Network reported on Feb. 22 that the Panthers could place the franchise tag on Gano. But a week has passed and the team still has not applied the tag. The deadline to apply the tag is Tuesday at 4 p.m.," Duggan said in his report.
"The franchise tag would pay Gano approximately $4.8 million for the 2018 season. The price tag for a long-term deal for Gano would likely be in the $4 million-per-year range, according to the source," he added.
Re-signing Gano remains high on the Panthers' priority list, so the Giants' chances of signing him are not really that great.
After an impressive season, Gano was named to his first Pro Bowl last year as an injury replacement. He converted 29 of his 30 field goal attempts (league-best 96.7 percent) in 16 games with the Panthers.
He will be a huge upgrade over current kicker Aldrick Rosas if the Giants can get him.
