Tremaine Edmunds has not needed to wait long to find his next NFL gig. The recently-released linebacker has lined up a deal with the Giants, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report.
Edmunds will collect $36MM on a three-year deal, per the report. That includes $23.7MM fully guaranteed. A busy day for the Giants includes this Edmunds contract, which can be made official before the start of the new league year since he was cut by the Bears recently.
John Harbaugh prioritized strong linebacker play in Baltimore, and that trend will continue in New York with Edmunds. Before turning 28 years old, he has started 119 games in eight NFL seasons with 900 tackles and 59 passes defended in his career. The only other player this century with the same resume is Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.
Edmunds, though, is not on quite the same level. He has never been named to an All-Pro team and his last Pro Bowl was in 2020. The Bills 2018 first-rounder thrived next to Matt Milano during the first four years of his career, which earned him a four-year, $72MM deal in Chicago. But as a Bear, Edmunds never graded out higher than Pro Football Focus’ 35th-ranked off-ball linebacker (subscription required).
The Giants released Bobby Okereke last week, making it clear they were looking for a replacement to anchor Dennard Wilson‘s new defense. Edmunds, who has been a full-time starter for his entire career, will likely take the green dot in New York right away.
More to come…
Well that’s better than having Edmunds for top of the market money.
Just a question of scheme. Edmunds was perfect for Eberlose’s bend don’t break style which I hate. He’s tall and great in zone for getting in the passing lanes. Allen likes fast LB’s who can cover and attack. Bush is perfect for Dennis Allen. Works for me.
Tremaine Edmonds is the Kirk Cousins of Linebackers. Looks the part, plays just north of Mediocre, then gets paid double what every other player at his position and talent level gets in free agency… His agent is a wizard.
Really solid to get him for that price.
The long hair moves to New Jersey. Good for him and his family, thanks for the memories
Maybe a slight upgrade over Okereke, who definitely lost a step last year. We’ll see.