The Giants were supposed to set sail on a path back to annual playoff contention.

Not set up a “For Sale” sign.

But an unexpected 1-4 start during which they have a league-worst minus-91 point differential — plus a game as 14-point underdogs against the Bills on tap — has changed the outlook of the season.

The Giants’ best move could be to join the list of sellers before the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.

General manager Joe Schoen resisted the urge to buy at last year’s deadline.

Will he resist the call to sell and add draft picks for a deeper rebuild in 2024?

Here are six trade candidates with expiring contracts if the Giants decide not to hold out hope of a second-half bounce-back:

Money owed: $8.7 million (including roster bonuses)

Pro Football Focus positional ranking: 105/109

Age: 28

Jackson said in August that his agent and the team discussed a possible extension, but circumstances have changed since then. He has never been a ballhawk — one interception in his last 28 games — but don’t undersell the value of his shadowing No. 1 receivers in the slot or on the perimeter.

Jackson’s absence would mean starting rookies Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins with second-year pro Cor’Dale Flott (a healthy scratch in Week 3) in the slot. Would the secondary function without Jackson? Think about the pre-snap confusion on the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill’s 69-yard touchdown catch when he was getting his helmet fixed.

Money owed: $1.26 million

PFF positional ranking: 30/86

Age: 24

It’s bad practice — utilized by the Giants for a decade — not to re-sign first- and second-round draft picks. Schoen put a stop to it with the extensions for Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas, but the timing wasn’t right for McKinney coming off an injury-plagued season and looking to up his value by duplicating his breakout 2021 output (five interceptions).

3

Schoen and McKinney, who is as irritated by losing as anyone in the locker room, agreed to put off extension talks until after the season, but it might be worth checking in on his asking price because newly hired agent David Mulugheta is known for seeking market resets for defensive backs.

Money owed: $13 million

PFF positional ranking: 18/124

Age: 29

Schoen made the right move not restructuring Williams’ contract (team-high $32.2 million cap hit) and adding future dead money. Williams often speaks of loving New York and wanting to play alongside Dexter Lawrence for as long as possible, but he hasn’t taken less than top dollar from the Giants in two agonizing negotiations, so re-signing here seems unlikely.

Williams has 9.5 sacks in 34 games since his career-best 11.5-sack season.

He is best against the run, but defensive tackle is the roster’s deepest position. Would the Giants pay some of Williams’ salary — like the Chargers recently did when dealing J.C. Jackson to the Patriots — to get a better return?

If not, maybe A’Shawn Robinson ($1.9 million owed) entices a defense looking to beef up.

Salary owed: $5.84 million

PFF positional ranking: 16/53

Age: 26

3

The cost for an acquiring team was lowered when Barkley’s $10.1 million franchise-tag salary was restructured to a $2 million signing bonus, $8.1 million salary and $909,000 in now unreachable incentives because he has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain.

Barkley’s future is uncertain after he rejected a three-year, $33 million (about $22 million guaranteed) in July. The sides technically can’t renegotiate until after the season so there is no word on how the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor’s three-year, $42 million extension or Barkley’s fourth injury-shortened season impacted his asking price.

He is not only the face of the team. The Giants can’t score (21 total offensive points) or run the ball (2.47 yards per carry) without him.

Money owed: $729,444

PFF positional ranking: 35/37 (center)

Age: 25

The Giants are fielding the worst offensive line in the league (30 sacks), so taking away another piece is risky. But few teams have enough blocking, which creates constant need. Maybe as the Giants get healthier on the line, their consensus second-best offensive linemen in 2022 is dealt.

Money owed: $2.7 million (including roster bonus)

PFF positional ranking: 103/110

Age: 26

It seemed that the only risk in renting Campbell for one year was his extensive injury history. But he has stayed healthy and still only produced 16 catches for 85 yards in the Giants’ six-receiver logjam.

More than half of Campbell’s money owed is tied into incentives that seem mostly out of reach, so he could be a similarly skilled trade alternative to the Jets’ Mecole Hardman.