New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen made a strong play for Will Fries and shopped near the top of the guard market but ultimately, he came up empty-handed.

The contracts being handed out were deemed too steep, forcing the Giants to reevaluate their options.

One of the few remaining options was a familiar face: Veteran Greg Van Roten.

On Wednesday night, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Giants and Van Roten were working to finalize a deal that would return him to East Rutherford for the second straight season.

The decision to re-sign Van Roten is a curious one given what Schoen told reporters at the 2025 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

“Right guard is a spot that’s open, and we’ll talk about is the answer somebody on the roster or do we need to look outside for that,” Schoen said at the time.

Schoen made it rather clear the team intended to upgrade the right guard position, indicating that although Van Roten played admirably, they targeted that as an area to address, even considering it a priority. But that’s not how the cookie crumbled.

Van Roten signed with the Giants late last offseason, inking his deal on July 31 and reuniting with his former Las Vegas Raiders teammate, Jermaine Eluemunor, and position coach, Carmen Bricillo.

At the age of 35 and in his 10th season, Van Roten went on to start all 17 games for the Giants and was the only offensive player to take every single snap (1,125). He played the first 15 games at right guard and then slid over to the center position over the final two weeks in place of an injured John Michael Schmitz.

In 2024, Van Roten earned an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 63.4, including a pass blocking grade of 64.9 and a run blocking grade of 62.3. He committed five penalties and allowed seven sacks.