Giants sign C Austin Schlottmann to two-year deal

The Minnesota Vikings lost another player to free agency, this time on the offensive side of the football.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the New York Giants have signed center Austin Schlottmann to a two-year contract. Terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed yet, but if the average annual is above $1.79 million, he will qualify for the compensatory formula, helping the Vikings get potentially two third-round compensatory selections.

With Garrett Bradbury injured, Schlottmann started in four games for the Vikings amassing an overall grade of 62.6 and an impressive pass blocking grade of 72.3.

Schlottmann is set to be the backup of John Michael Schmitz with a chance to potentially start if they kick Schmitz to guard.

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with free agent offensive linemen Aaron Stinnie and Austin Schlottman, per reports from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Schlottmann, 28, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of TCU by the Denver Broncos after the 2018 NFL Draft, and was named their starting right guard in Week 14 of the 2019 season.

He signed with the Minnesota Vikings prior to the 2022 season, and was primarily a center for them in 2022 and 2023. All told, he’s played 449 snaps at right guard, 512 at center, and 90 at left guard. Schlottmann is (very) unlikely to unseat John Michael Schmitz as the Giants starting center, but could prove to be a valuable depth piece who could back up all three interior positions.

Stinnie, 30, also originally came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent (though he was out of James Madison), signing with the Tennessee Titans after the 2018 NFL Draft. Stinnie was a depth player as a rookie and started the 2019 season on the Titans’ practice squad before being promoted to the active roster in September and being waived in November, when he was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He spent the next three years with the Buccaneers and played sparingly as a reserve guard. Stinnie got the opportunity to start in 2023, playing 716 snaps at left guard per Pro Football Focus. He gave up 29 total pressure in pass protection last year (2 sacks, 2 hits, 25 hurries), as well as committing four penalties, on 442 pass blocking reps.

Stinnie could compete for the left guard spot, though he’ll more likely compete for a place as a depth piece on the Giants’ roster.