INDIANAPOLIS – The Giants have until 4 p.m. on March 5 to decide if they will use the franchise tag on pending free agent Landon Collins, and they may use every last second of it. General manager Dave Gettleman said at the Combine on Wednesday that the team is “still evaluating” that possible tactic. The other options would be signing Collins to a long-term deal before then (something that seems unlikely) or letting the three-time Pro Bowl safety hit the open market.
Not all of Gettleman’s “evaluating” has to do with Collins on the field. Using the tag would lock up about $11 million of salary-cap space – approximately half of what the Giants have available -- just as they head into free agency.