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The New York Giants have had a 2021 season they'd like to forget. Their 53-man roster had playoff hopes entering the 2021 campaign.
But injuries to Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones and their wide receiver core have plagued them. In Week 18, their woes continue as they can't even field a full 53-man roster.
The team has just 51 players on their roster for Sunday's game. The news came via a tweet from Giantscountry and SI writer, Patricia Traina.
Their cap space situation is among the worst in the NFL, and thus, they don't have room to sign any more players. Talk about a bizarre situation in a bizarre season.
Giants will field a 51-man roster against WFT in Week 18 due to lack of cap space
The Giants not having enough cap space to sign two more players is another chapter in their tumultuous season. With just $279,392 in cap space, they can't sign any free agent for the veterans minimum.
The lowest contract a team can offer an NFL player is $660,000, but they must be rookies to receive that amount.
This isn't the first case in NFL history where a team has been unable to field a 53-man roster. The Buffalo Bills were only able to field a 52-man roster once.
But being in salary cap turmoil is a problem that falls on the plate of general manager Dave Gettleman.
Gettleman has run the team since 2018 and has had a poor tenure. They're just 19-45 in his four seasons running the front office and have no playoff appearances.
Gettleman will oversee his last game as general manager Sunday, as he's retiring Monday.
Whoever inherits the job for the 2022 season will have their work cut out for them. The franchise isn't tight on money just this season.
In 2022, they will hold the fifth-least amount of cap space in the NFL, according to Spotrac.
The struggling franchise could be in for a massive overhaul of its coaching staff and personnel a season from now. In search of a new general manager, Joe Judge could be out the door as head coach.
Whether Jones is the quarterback of the future or not is another decision ownership will need to make. Jones has improved in certain aspects of his game this year.
He still turns the ball over frequently and is incapable of making confident throws an NFL quarterback should make.
Fans will look to the future for brighter days ahead. Hopefully for them, that future involves digging themselves out of their financial hole.
Otherwise, they could continue to finish near the bottom of the NFC East annually.
