Should the Giants bring back the veteran guard?
Greg Van Roten was the final piece of the New York Giants restructured offensive line in 2024, added during training camp by GM Joe Schoen. Will Van Roten be one-and-done as a Giant, or should the veteran right guard by back with the team in 2025?
Reasons to keep Van Roten
Like I did in my discussion of safety Jason Pinnock, let’s start with the fact that Van Roten is still a good player. He will be 35 next season, but the last two seasons may have been the best of a career that began as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 2012. He started every game in each season, playing in 2023 for the Las Vegas Raiders and 2024 for the Giants.
Even if the Giants want to open the right guard spot to a competition that might include Evan Neal and a rookie selected in the draft, Van Roten can also play center and his experience, knowledge and ability would make him a valuable reserve. If, of course, he wants to continue his NFL career.
Reasons to let him go
Van Roten played for a base salary of $1.25 million in 2024 and an overall cap hit of $3 million. The Giants added him to their offensive line when it became clear Jermaine Eluemunor was going to play right tackle.
If Van Roten wants a guarantee that he would start at right guard, or a significant bump from his 2024 salary, the Giants might have to pass.
The verdict
This one isn’t clear to me. It might depend on what else the Giants do in free agency and the draft, and whether they want to put Neal, Josh Ezeudu, Jake Kubas and perhaps a rookie draft choice into a competition at the right guard spot.
Van Roten, a Rockville Centre, native, could be a fall back option based on what else the Giants are — or are not — able to accomplish during the offseason. He showed last summer that he doesn’t need a lot of preseason work to be ready to play.
