There's an old saying that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
So as the New York Giants finish their Week 8 bye, we thought it would be interesting to check in on some of the Giants' biggest free agent losses (players who signed significant contracts with other teams) and see how they're doing with their new teams compared with the players who replaced them for the Giants.
The Tennessee Titans predictably went after many of the Giants' unrestricted free agents after hiring former Giants head coach Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator.
Leading the pack was receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, who received a four-year, $70 million deal, the richest contract of any of the Giants' unrestricted free agents.
So far, you have to wonder if the Titans are questioning the move. Robinson, who was targeted more than 130 times in each of the past two seasons (2024 and 2025) and had his first 1,000-yard receiving season in 2025, has been targeted just 42 times this year.
He has caught 29 passes for 205 yards, a career-low 7.1 yards per reception, and two touchdowns in seven games.
Extrapolated over the full season, Robinson is on pace for 102 targets, 70 receptions and 498 yards, hardly numbers worthy of the contract he received as a free agent.
The Giants have taken a committee approach at slot, with tight end Isaiah Likely and receiver Malik Nabers as the primary options and additional snaps going to Darnell Mooney and Charlie Jones.
Likely (11th) and Nabers (fifth) rank in the top 11 among receivers and tight ends in receptions, with 41 and 48, respectively, despite sharing slot snaps.
Tennessee Titans cornerback Cor'dale Flott (18) intercepts Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Giants were said to have wanted Flott back, but at the last minute, the Titans came in with an offer that convinced him to leave.
That was a good thing for the Giants, as one might have wondered what Flott's return to Big Blue would have meant for Deonte Banks, whom Flott beat out for the starting job in 2025.
Flott, as is usually the case throughout his career, has missed one game due to injury: Week 2. He has 14 tackles and three stops and has allowed a 63.2% reception rate , up from the career-low 53.0% he allowed last year as a Giants starter.
In cornerback coverage rating (minimum 150 coverage snaps), he ranks 24th out of 50 , behind Banks (T-17th).
If that's not enough for the Giants to consider Flott's departure a blessing, Flott's reception rate ranks 40th out of 50, while Banks has allowed 50% of the pass targets against him to be completed (T-7th) in the same 50-man sample.
Aug 23, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Daniel Bellinger (82) makes a catch during warmup period against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Daniel Bellinger was never really intended to be a TE1 on the Giants, so comparing his stats to Isaiah Likely's wouldn't be fair. However, we can compare Bellinger , the Titans' TE2 behind Gunnar Helm, to the Giants' TE2, Theo Johnson.
Bellinger has caught 60% of his pass targets, while Johnson has caught 44.4% of his. Among the 53 tight ends with at least nine pass targets, Johnson's 44.4% catch rate is dead last .
Tennessee Titans center Austin Schlottmann (51) addresses the media during training camp at Vanderbilt Health Football Center Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Schlottmann was one of the Giants' more underrated players in 2024 and 2025.
Although he missed his first season with Big Blue because of a broken leg suffered just before the season began, he played well enough in relief of John Michael Schmitz when the second-round pick was injured.
In 2025, Schlottmann finished with PFF grades of 70.9 overall, 70.0 in run blocking and 77.0 in pass blocking, all career bests. In 363 offensive snaps in 2025, he allowed just three pressures.
This year, he has played 398 snaps as the Titans' starting center and has allowed 10 pressures, with PFF grades nowhere near his 2025 output.
Bryan Hudson has played 299 offensive snaps since taking over for Schmitz as the Giants' starting center. Among the 32 centers with at least 250 snaps this season , Hudson ranks fifth in pass blocking, while Schlottmann ranks 15th.
Hudson is also tied with Chiefs center Creed Humphrey for the fewest quarterback pressures allowed (three) among the 32 qualifying centers. He is also one of 14 centers in that group who have not surrendered a sack .
Oct 25, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets safety Dane Belton (6) runs onto the field during player introductions before a game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
During his time with the Giants, Belton excelled on special teams, leading the Giants' units with 20 tackles last season (seven solo).
This year, former Jets linebacker Zaire Barnes has taken over that production, leading the Giants with 11 special teams tackles (six solo) and a forced fumble.
In the secondary, Belton is ranked the 14th most productive safety among the 38 qualifying safeties who have played at least 350 defensive snaps.
That's nowhere near what Jevon Holland has accomplished, however. Holland is currently the second-highest-ranked safety in the qualifying group and the fifth-best coverage safety (Belton is ranked 30th).
Holland also leads the group with a 45.5% reception rate allowed , giving him a career-best 18.2 coverage rating . Belton has a 75% reception rate allowed (19th) and a 128.6 coverage rating, which ranks 35th among the 38 safeties.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/giants/onsi as Is the Grass Greener? Checking In on the Giants' Biggest Free Agent Losses .
