Many players might raise an eyebrow at Eluemunor’s claim, especially veteran enforcers at the position like Lane Johnson, Penei Sewell and Tristan Wirfs, among others.
However, Eluemunor enjoyed a great season with the Giants. He gave up four sacks over 1,088 career snaps and earned a 76.7 final grade from PFF, his best grade ever. While he has some issues blocking in the run game, he is sure to keep the quarterback upright more often than not.
After starting 31 games for Big Blue over the past two seasons, he is now 20th on Gregg Rosenthal’s list of 101 free agents. He is the highest rated right tackle available and the second free tackle overall, behind the Packers’ Rasheed Walker.
Even at 31, Eluemunor will get paid, the result of betting on himself by taking a shorter two-year deal with New York in 2024 to build more momentum and prove his true worth.
“I knew what I was going to be and I was trying to maximize it,” Eluemunor said. “I knew I couldn’t go beyond $3 million [with the Raiders] making money in the device market. I was taking a huge bet on myself that I knew I was going to get out of because I had that mindset.”
New York was the offensive lineman’s sixth NFL home, with shorter stops in Miami and Jacksonville before the 2021 regular season.
He’s had a rocky road, starting 2017 with the Ravens, for whom he started three games over two seasons before being traded to the Patriots. After two seasons and eight more starts in New England, Eluemunor signed with the Dolphins for the ’21 campaign but was cut in training camp. He then joined the Jaguars, but was released days later.
He eventually caught on with the Raiders before the regular season, and after making three starts for the team in his first year, righted the ship to become the full-time starter at right tackle in Las Vegas from 2022-23. He anchored himself on the right side of the line again the past two years in New York.
Eluemunor has been betrayed by a fire that was divided once, cut twice, and allowed to walk many times.
“Now I’m at a point where mentally I can’t be broken,” he said. “I will continue to get better and better as you have no choice but to say I am one of the best players in my position and one of the best players, period.”
Whichever team signs him in the upcoming free agency period will be counting on that.