HEADLINES

Giants Release James Bradberry

May 9th, 2022 at 1:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

James Bradberry‘s time with the Giants has finally come to an end. The team announced on Monday that they have released the veteran corner. 

It was reported last week that a release was inevitable in this case. From the beginning of the offseason, Bradberry, 28, was named as a cut candidate, owing to his scheduled cap hit of over $21.8MM. New general manager Joe Schoen made a number of cost-cutting moves throughout March, but held on to Bradberry in the hopes of finding a trade partner.

For a time, it was believed the former second-round pick was drawing trade interest, as teams with sufficient cap space would presumably be willing to acquire him via that route. However, Schoen recently admitted that he was surprised at how cool the market was for the Pro Bowler.

“I thought there would be more interest” he said on WFAN Sports Radio, via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. “There were some teams that showed interest pre-draft, and we had a couple different times [where] there [was] compensation in place and the contract never worked out.”

Bradberry has only missed five games during his six-year career, which began with the Panthers. In 2021, his second campaign with the Giants, he played in all 17 contests, totalling 47 tackles, a career-high four interceptions and 17 passes defensed. By releasing him, the Giants will leave over $11.7MM on the books in dead money, but gain over $10.1MM in much-needed cap space.

“It’s just where we are financially” Schoen added. “We still got to sign our draft picks, be able to sign our practice squad and have replacement costs for during the season.”

Now, Bradberry will hit the open market as arguably the top free agent available at any position. Given his age, production and, now, the lack of his previous contract as an impediment, he should have plenty of suitors amongst teams seeking starting-caliber help in the secondary.

View Comments (24)