Rhett Ellison

Ellison missed the final six games of 2019 with a months-long concussion. He wasn't going to be back with the Giants at his $7.18 million cap hit, but there would have been a market for Ellison in free agency. Ellison spent most of his career blocking, but he managed a 118/1,189/7 line over eight seasons. His retirement clears $5 million in cap space for the Giants.

Ellison missed the final six games of 2019 after suffering a concussion in November. He's now entering the final season of a four-year, $18 million contract, with the Giants able to clear out $5 million in cap space if they release the 31-year-old tight end this offseason, per overthecap.com. Reading between the lines, Ellison would need to accept a pay cut to stay with the Giants, and that's assuming he even wants to play football for another season. His combination of strong blocking and competent short-pass catching could make Ellison appealing to a variety of teams in need of a No. 2 tight end.

Ellison's 2018 was also cut short by a head injury. Last year, he went down in Week 11 before suffering a setback ahead of Week 16. Scary stuff. If the 31-year-old decides to continue playing, he will either be released or subject to re-negotiation. He is currently set to count an untenable $7.18 million against the cap. The Giants would save $5 million by cutting him loose.

Ellison would count $7.2 million against the salary cap for New York if retained for 2020, an especially substantial sum for a team with promising options like Evan Engram (foot) and Kaden Smith both playing under rookie contracts. Barring a pay cut, it's realistic that the Giants could opt to part ways with Ellison, who ended the 2019 season on injured reserve due to a concussion, in favor of a more affordable blocking specialist.