Not much has been heard from the best interior defensive linemen left on the market, Johnathan Hankins. According to NFL Network's Kimberly Jones, it isn't for a lack of effort from the Giants.
Conventional wisdom said Hankins would sign once the market for Dontari Poe was clearly defined. However, Poe inked a one-year prove-it deal with the Atlanta Falcons roughly 10 days ago. Hankins, the last remaining roadblock between the Giants and their much-improved 2016 defense returning completely intact, has been quiet.
Jones said the offer has been on the table for weeks.
At this point, there is no way Hankins wins the standoff. He has been on the market for too long and teams have already allocated a large percentage of their salary-cap money in free agency. With a defensive line-rich NFL draft coming up in roughly a month, his opportunities will be further diminished as teams pour resources into developing the younger players they select.
Hankins had an excellent 2016 and is a unique piece that fits the Giants' brutal run-stuffing line perfectly. Alongside Damon Harrison, there might not be a more formidable set of pile pushers in football. But what is his value outside of New York?
"I think we all want him back," Jonathan Casillastold NJ.com of Hankins. "But at the end of the day, if you feel like you need to be compensated for what he's been doing, he deserves that. We all deserve that. It's a business. I don't know exactly where we're at with him. But I vouch for him. I want him to come back. I think with him, (defensive tackle Damon Harrison), (defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul) and (defensive end Olivier Vernon), it's going to make my job a lot easier."
For now, it seems it's not what he'd like. For now, the stare down continues.