Andrew Thomas' fifth-year option picked up by Giants

 The Giants picked up the fifth-year option on left tackle Andrew Thomas’ contract on Tuesday.

For general manager Joe Schoen, that may rank as the easiest decision of his two-year tenure.

 The clock was ticking. Teams had until Tuesday to exercise or decline the fifth-year options on the 2020 first-round picks.

The 24-year-old Thomas has emerged as a leader and was voted a captain last season. Under the option, he will receive a guaranteed $14.175 million in 2024 and will continue to protect the blind side of quarterback Daniel Jones for at least the next two seasons.

“Definitely starting to transition to the vet mindset,” Thomas said recently. “I think I've done a good job of handling my business, but the next step is being more vocal and bringing more guys with me.”

The Giants drafted center John Michael Schmitz in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday. It seems reasonable to expect that Thomas will help the rookie along.

“Obviously we want to be the bell cows of the offense and that starts with me,” Thomas said. “I think if the whole [offensive line] is not playing well, then what I’m doing doesn’t matter. We have to be good as a unit if we want to win and go deep into the playoffs. So, the approach this year is just getting better as a unit and making sure everybody is on the same page.”

Thomas was the first tackle selected in the 2020 draft, with the fourth overall pick. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2022 and was rated as the third-best offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus. He allowed only six sacks on 1,217 pass-blocking snaps over the last two seasons.

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.