Prince Amukamara

New York Giants corner back Prince Amukamara #20 during an NFL game against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015. (AP Photo | Brad Penner)

(Note: Check back every day over the next week for a free agent file)

Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara may have missed five games this past season - and not played as well as he had in the past when he was on the field - yet he's still about to earn a nice payday as a free agent.

The NFL is a supply and demand business, and Amukamara plays (pretty well) a position that is often difficult to fill. He's an accomplished starting cornerback with 45 career starts under his belt. He's played (at times) at a Pro Bowl level.

That makes Amukamara a valuable commodity on the open market this offseason. It makes him costly for the Giants - or any team - to sign.



The Giants have a decision to make with their 2011 first-round pick. And it's not going to be easy.



Amukamara wants to return, for the right price. Are the Giants confident he can stay healthy despite his physical nature? Are they willing to offer that lucrative contract to another cornerback? And how much do they value building from within and developing their own talent? Amukamara would be the first first-round pick since Mathias Kiwanuka (Class of '06) to sign a long-term second contract with the team.

Top 50 free agents on the market



Here's the rundown on the free-agent cornerback:



Free agent file: Prince Amukamara



Position: Cornerback

Age: 26

Experience: 5 years



Projected contract: 4 years, $35.3 million with $18.2 million guaranteed

(Note: The projected contract was derived from the average of five league sources surveyed. The panel consists of a front office executive, salary cap experts and agents.)



Comparable contracts: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Broncos) and Chris Culliver (Redskins)

Rodgers-Cromartie signed a five-year, $35 million deal with $14 million guaranteed as a free agent in 2014. Culliver received a four-year, $32 million deal with $16 million guaranteed in 2015. And the price for starting cornerbacks keeps rising with the salary cap increasing at a rate of almost 8 percent each year. Culliver had one solid season as a starter before landing $8 million per year as a free agent. Amukamara has been an abover-average starter for three years. Injuries are the only thing that have held him back.

Market: Who doesn't need a quality starting cornerback? Three teams with the most money under the salary cap - the Jaguars, Raiders and Giants - could all use Amukamara. So can the Titans, Bucs, Colts, Saints and Ravens. It's good to be a cornerback. St. Louis' Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, Kansas City's Sean Smith, Green Bay's Casey Hayward and Cincinnati's Leon Hall will have plenty of suitors.

McAdoo on coaching staff: 'Nobody was retained'



What he brings: Amukamara has proven to be a solid (but not lockdown) cover cornerback. In addition, he's been one of the league's best run-supporting corners prior to this season, when he dealt with a partially torn pectoral muscle that limited his effectiveness. He's also a quality locker room presence who works hard and has no off-the-field red flags whatsoever.



Synopsis: Amukamara's a solid player, when he's on the field. That's the risk with signing the 2011 first-round pick. He's played 16 games just once in five seasons. That may be the result of playing a physical style where he's constantly sticking his nose into the action near the line of scrimmage.



This past season was a struggle for Amukamara, who didn't appear at 100 percent when he first returned from the partially torn pectoral muscle. Amukamara played with a harness to protect his arm upon his return and wasn't as active near the line of scrimamge. He also struggled at times in coverage (vs. the Jets) as he tried to get back into top form following an extended layoff.



Still, when healthy, Amukamara is a quality starter and top-shelf No. 2 cornerback. He was playing at a Pro Bowl level in 2014 before a torn biceps ended his season.

Playoff-bound in 2016?



Chance he returns to Giants: 40 percent

As of late last week, the Giants hadn't approached Amukamara about a new deal (it doesn't mean they definitely won't, there is still time) and it seems inevitable he's going to be allowed to test the free-agent market. Anything can happen at that point. Solid starters at cornerback don't come cheap.



Cornerback may not be a position the Giants are looking to make such a heavy investment with Rodgers-Cromartie already under contract and so many other needs. It all depends on where the Giants would like to invest their available cap space. If they're willing to put a nice chunk into another starting cornerback, Amukamara is the obvious choice. He's a good player and solid citizen.

TALK IS CHEAP, Ep. 42: Which free agents should Giants keep?

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Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.