Sitting back and waiting for the market to unfold is a strategy the Giants have used in the past at the start of NFL free agency, but that likely won’t cut it this year. Teams can begin legal tampering Saturday at noon, meaning they are allowed to contact agents of free agents and start the negotiating process, but no contracts can be signed until Tuesday. Figure the Giants will take an aggressive approach.
On Friday, the Giants locked up one of their own free agents, as they re-signed a middle linebacker. No, it wasn’t Jon Beason, who is their top priority, but Mark Herzlich, who was set to become a restricted free agent.
For the first time after nine years playing defensive end for the Giants, Justin Tuck is a part of the free-agent process. If he is to strike a new deal with the Giants, it will be after he first sees what else is out there and how much another team is willing to pay him.
Tuck has repeatedly expressed his desire to retire a Giant, waxing poetic about his love for the New York/New Jersey area and the deep roots he has put down in his adopted home. He never has had to consider playing somewhere else, until now.
“Here is my statement,’’ Tuck told The Post Friday in a text message. “I’m excited to go through the process of free agency.’’
Tuck did not want to elaborate. “I’m sure you can guess how I would answer the questions,’’ he added.
There haven’t been any substantive contract talks between Tuck and the Giants, so it is incumbent on him to see what he is worth on the open market. If possible, he’ll give the Giants the right to match any offer.
On Saturday, the Giants can start setting up visits with players they are interested in meeting. Figure their list will be heavy with running backs (possibly Ben Tate and James Starks) and offensive linemen (Geoff Schwartz, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Jon Asamoah, Levi Brown and Chad Rinehart could be possible targets). The Giants unquestionably need a tight end and have interest in Jermichael Finley, who was coached in Green Bay by Ben McAdoo, the Giants’ new offensive coordinator. At receiver, Golden Tate from the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks is an ascending player who might fit neatly in alongside Victor Cruz.
Bringing back Herzlich does not affect plans with Beason, who started 11 games last season for the Giants after he was acquired from the Panthers. If the Giants had tendered Herzlich, he would have made $1.431 million for the 2014 season. His deal is believed to be for one year and less than the tender price.
In three years with the Giants, Herzlich has appeared in 43 games, starting six of them. He started two games last season — at Carolina and at Kansas City — before giving way to Beason. Herzlich is a core special teams player, recording a team-leading 14 special teams tackles. He is one of the Giants’ most inspirational players, having waged a successful battle against Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, when he played at Boston College.