Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas is eligible for a contract extension, having completed three NFL seasons.
He deserves one, after a second-team All-Pro award last season that was arguably a snub behind the 49ers’ Trent Williams.
For now, the Giants are picking up Thomas’ fifth-year option, the team announced Tuesday morning.
This was a formality that puts the former No. 4 overall pick under contract through the 2024 season at $10.2 million this year and $14.1 million the next.
But later this offseason, don’t be surprised if the Giants and Thomas, 24, circle back to discuss a long-term extension.
Not that it would change Thomas’ approach either way, as he told the Daily News on breakup day back in January.
“I’m gonna focus on getting better, trying to be a better leader for the team,” Thomas said, when asked about the possibility of a new contract. “My agent and Joe [Schoen] and [Brian] Daboll, they control all that. So I’ll just focus on getting better … Because I’m never satisfied. Regardless of whether I get a deal or not, I’m always trying to get better, each and every day.”
For the first time in three years, Thomas is not recovering from an offseason ankle surgery, which bodes well for him to build on his elite 2022 performance.
From a financial standpoint, the Giants would probably benefit from locking up Thomas long-term sooner rather than later, too.
Houston’s Laremy Tunsil already is topping the tackle market at an average of $25 million per year, and the longer a team waits to pay a player at premium positions, the higher the price is likely to go.
The Giants do have other more immediate business to tackle, though: defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is seeking a long-term extension and has not reported to the team yet this offseason as he waits for negotiations to bring a resolution.
Saquon Barkley is in the same boat, but he plays a much less expensive position. How the Giants pay Lawrence, at a position where the Titans’ Jeffrey Simmons just got $23.5 million a year, is the bigger question that will determine how all the pieces fit.
The Giants are obviously thrilled with Thomas’ performance in 2022. His excellence helped the Giants get back to the playoffs and helped Daniel Jones earn his contract extension.
Thomas is pleased with it, too. He just isn’t dwelling on it too long.
“Oh definitely,” Thomas said, when asked if he takes satisfaction in the 2022 season. “When you improve, it’s something to be proud of. Because it’s not easy, especially playing this position in the league. But you also have to take it with a grain of salt.
“There’s so many things on film,” he added, “things I wish I had back, and some plays where I just feel like I got beat and I got to be a better player. So I’m just going to focus on getting better so I can be one of the top players in the league.”
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