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Giants Exercising 5th-Year Option on Evan Engram Makes Him a More Valuable Trade Asset

By Scott Rogust

The Giants' exercised Evan Engram's fifth-year option, but that doesn't mean he's going to remain with the team.
The Giants' exercised Evan Engram's fifth-year option, but that doesn't mean he's going to remain with the team. / Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The New York Giants are looking to build a smash-mouth, winning football team under new head coach Joe Judge. While the former New England Patriots special teams coordinator brought in some of his own hand-picked roster pieces, he did retain a number of players from last season with significant roles to play, one of them being tight end Evan Engram.

On Wednesday evening, the Giants announced they exercised the fifth-year option of the former 2017 first-round selection, which covers the 2021 season. While that's all well and good, it doesn't mean Engram's a lock to be on the roster come Week 1. In fact, the option makes him much more valuable on the trade market.

The fifth year on Engram's rookie contract will pay him a little over $6 million in 2021. That alone makes it easier to flip the tight end to another team.

In the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft, rumors began circulating that the Giants were shopping Engram to teams like the San Francisco 49ers. Of course, nothing panned out during draft week, but that doesn't mean trade discussions are officially off the table. Teams like the 49ers and even the New Orleans Saints would surely be amenable to adding a player like Engram so they can run two-tight end sets.

Of course, the main deterrent against the Giants receiving max value in return is the fact that Engram has not yet shown he can stay healthy for a full year. In the past two seasons, Engram has only played in 19 games due to a variety of ailments. That's mostly because he's got more of a wide receiver's build than that of a tight end, which makes him more susceptible to getting banged up in the middle of the field.

But the fact is that Engram is a matchup nightmare for defenses when he's healthy, which will entice interested teams.

It's not known if Judge is completely sold on Engram's abilities. This is his team, not general manager Dave Gettleman's. If Judge doesn't think he's a true fit for the Giants, he can easily receive a Day 2 NFL Draft pick in return for him.