The Giants' Monday releases of veteran running backRashad Jennings and franchise iconVictor Cruz didn't occur in a vacuum.
New York's front office is freeing up salary-cap space, with designs on preventing impending free agent Jason Pierre-Paul from reaching the open market.
"I do expect them to make a legitimate run in the coming days and weeks," NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said on Monday's edition of Up to the Minute Live. "They will try and get a deal done before he can potentially hit the free agent market."
Pierre-Paul made it clear last month that he will not accept another one-year, prove-it contract to remain with the Giants.
He was just hitting his stride, recording 5.5 sacks over a two-game span to close out November, when he went down with a season-ending core-muscle injury that required surgery.
Without the benefit of a bidding war, Pierre-Paul is unlikely to match the $17 million annual figure that teammate Olivier Vernon landed from the G-Men last March.
If he's willing to settle for a deal closer to $12 million per year, the Giants might just succeed in locking him up before the start of the league year on March 9.
