The biggest game in the NFL, Super Bowl LVIII, is just hours away and will pit the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs against each other for the second time in four years.
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The Chiefs want to make history by becoming the first team to win the Super Bowl twice since the New England Patriots in 2003–04. The Chiefs roster includes former New York Giants, most notably defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was instrumental in leading New York to an 18-0 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Then there are receivers Richie James and Kadarius Toney, who, let’s just say, aren’t very popular with Giants supporters.
After Sunday, a number of Chiefs players will become unrestricted free agents, and general manager Joe Schoen will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on a handful of them. With multiple gaps to be filled on the team, Schoen will likely choose cheaper players who can contribute in 2024 rather than signing high-priced free agents. Three of those players are shown here.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Should the Giants decide against bringing back Saquon Barkley, Clyde Edwards-Helaire is a seasoned running back that they should keep an eye on. Kansas City’s backfield workhorse, Isiah Pacheco, makes it doubtful that they’ll give Helaire’s re-signing first priority.
Since they were teammates with the Chiefs in 2020 and 2021, Edwards-Helaire has a familiarity with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, which is appealing to New York. Despite the fact that this season’s rushing yards and yards per carry were career lows for him, a move to a new location might be exactly what his career needs to take off.
April is his 25th birthday, and the goal is for him to become more like the player he was as a rookie, when he scored five touchdowns overall and had 1,100 all-purpose yards. Being a versatile back, he can contribute to passing and running games alike.
His birthday is in April, and the objective is to resemble the player he was as a rookie, when he had 1,100 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns overall. He can contribute to both running and passing games because he is a versatile back.
Nick Allegretti could help patch up New York Giants’ line
Once again, New York’s offensive line—especially the interior—was a huge problem for the team as they had a terrible season. In addition to looking to sign a seasoned offensive guard in free agency, the organization will undoubtedly add an offensive guard in the draft.
Allegretti, a dependable guard who would cost a lot to acquire, would be a perfect fit. Despite being the Chiefs’ backup and having only started four games during the regular season in the previous two years, he did a good job of replacing left guard Joe Thuney during the AFC Championship game against the Ravens. This season, Allegretti has only given up one sack in 51 pass-blocking snaps.
Since Thuney is ruled out of the Super Bowl, general manager Joe Schoen will be even more motivated to sign the 27-year-old guard if Allegretti plays well against the 49ers defensive line.
Jerick McKinnon
Jerick McKinnon will also be an unrestricted free agent, making Edwards-Helaire not the only Chiefs running back who will be available for free agency. He was only able to play in 12 games this season because to a groin ailment, but in 2022, he was productive with 803 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns.
This season, he had the most action on third downs, when he caught 25 passes for 192 yards and four touchdowns. The Giants should be keeping an eye on McKinnon for the same reasons that they should be watching Helaire. However, McKinnon’s age—32 in May—means that, should he sign, the contract will probably be for a single year.
