New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: K Graham Gano
Fifteen seasons is a long time to do anything, and nobody knows that better than New York Giants special teams captain and kicker Graham Gano.
Throughout a career that has seen him kick for three different organizations, Gano has experienced highs and lows. He's had to overcome outside doubt and internal adversity.
Every time he has been questioned, he's answered positively and in 2024 he will once again find himself answering questions and looking to silence doubters as he looks to overcome a season-ending knee injury.
It is never easy spending an offseason rehabbing an injury instead of resting and preparing for what is always a grueling NFL campaign, but that's exactly what Gano has spent his offseason doing.
After having surgery to repair an undisclosed knee injury, Gano most likely spent his off-time trying to return his knee to full strength while also making sure that his legs could support a heavy workload.
Before the 2023 season, Gano averaged over 30 field goal attempts in his first three seasons as a Giant. He hit 89 out of 97 attempts; an impressive 91.7 percent. Last season, thanks in part to injuries he was 64.6 percent before he was shut down for the season.
Although fans and coaches should be sympathetic to what Gano dealt with in 2023, this is still a results-based business.
Gano is no spring chicken, and although many kickers have been productive into their 40s, compounding age with injury makes people wonder if it is time to move on.
This is especially true given the Giants have a new special teams coordinator who is looking to jumpstart what’s been mostly an underperforming unit on this team.
What Gano has in his favor is how well he has responded to adversity. Training camp will go a long way towards answering the questions people have about his health and effectiveness. History shows it would not be wise to bet against him.
GRAHAM GANO, K
Height: 6-2
Weight: 202 lbs.
Exp: 15
School: FSU
How Acquired: FA-20
2023 in Review
The 2023 season was the worst of Gano’s career. He dealt with injury throughout the first half of the season, which caused him to struggle with his kicking. His kicks lacked the power that we were accustomed to seeing from him, and his accuracy also suffered.
Former Giants special teams coach Thomas McGaughey was scrutinized by many who believed that he should have shut Gano down instead of allowing him to continue kicking while clearly being compromised.
On November 4, they put the special teams captain on injured reserve. They signed Cade York and Randy Bullock to replace him. A week later, Gano had surgery on his left knee.
In 2023 he only attempted 17 field goals, his lowest number since 2018, his final season with the Carolina Panthers. It also marked the first time in his four-year tenure with the Big Blue that he did not attempt 32 or more field goals.
His 64.6 percent field goal percentage was the lowest of his career and the first time his percentage was sub 70 percent since 2010, his second season in the NFL spent with Washington.
His 11 field goals made is the lowest number since his nine made field goals in 2012, his first season in Carolina.
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Contract/Cap Info
Gano signed a three-year, $16.5 million contract with the New York Giants that included a $5 million signing bonus and $11.335 million guaranteed. That comes to an average annual salary of $5.5 million.
In 2024, Gano will earn a base salary of $3.085 million and a roster bonus of $2 million. He has a cap hit of $7,211,667, of which $5.085 million is guaranteed, and a dead cap value of $7.211 million (with zero savings) now it’s after June 1.
2024 Preview
Gano is 37 years old and is entering his 15th season in the NFL. Any time in his NFL career that he has struggled or been met with adversity, he's responded well.
In 2012 he only attempted 11 field goals after 41 the previous season. In 2013 he connected on 24 of 27 attempts. In 2018 he hit 14 of 16 attempts and followed the next season connecting on 31 of 32 kicks.
The question for Gano is how healthy he is. Is his surgically repaired knee at full strength and ready to go? Thus far in OTAs, Gano has kicked well with little to no sign of having had knee surgery.
And the Giants will likely take some of the onus off him this summer with Jude McAtamney, for whom they have a roster exemption given McAtamney’s international roots.
Thirty-seven might seem old in terms of the general football population, but it’s not “old” in the world of kickers.
There’s no reason why Gano can't recapture his form from the previous three seasons. Fans should be prepared for a comeback season from the Florida State product.
GENE CLEMONS
Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist. Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com. He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content.