Giants To Sign Richie James
The Giants have brought in a productive element to their special teams unit. The team is signing returner/receiver Richie James to a one-year contract, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). 
James, 26, spent the first three seasons of his career in San Francisco. He held a modest role in the team’s offense for his first two campaigns, recording just 15 catches. In 2020, however, he was on the field for 54% of the team’s offensive snaps, making a career-high 23 receptions for 394 yards.
The former seventh rounder is best known, though, for his ability as a returner. During his trio of seasons with the 49ers, James totalled 32 punt returns, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt. He also ran back 47 kickoffs at a clip of 23 yards per return, including a 97-yard touchdown in his rookie season.
James was set to continue in San Francisco for another year, but a knee injury – and subsequent surgery – led to his release this past August. The Middle Tennessee alum missed all of last season as a result. In New York, he will get the opportunity not only to operate as a return man, but also potentially to serve as a deep threat on offense.
San Francisco’s interest in a reunion with James dissipated when they signed former Steeler Ray-Ray McCloud to take over their return duties. Now both they and the Giants will hope to see improvements in the third phase of the game in 2022.
Giants Sign DT Justin Ellis
Justin Ellis is heading to the NFC. The defensive tackle is signing with the Giants, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Ellis is inking a one-year deal.
The 2014 fourth-round pick spent the first five-plus seasons of his career with the Raiders, earning All-Rookie Team honors in 2014. Ellis found himself in and out of the starting lineup during his stint with the Raiders, as he started 42 of his 66 games. This included a 2017 campaign where he started 14 of his 16 games and finished with 48 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
Ellis joined the Ravens in 2019 and ended up inking three separate contracts with the team. During his three seasons in Baltimore, the defensive lineman compiled 41 tackles while starting eight of his 34 games.
He’ll already have some familiarity with New York’s defensive system. Ellis played under current Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale when the two were in Baltimore.
Giants Interested In T Charles Cross
- James Bradberry and Saquon Barkley remain Giants, but Bradberry’s $21.9MM cap number jumps out on the team’s payroll. The Giants will probably have to jettison Bradberry, even if they would prefer to keep him, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano writes, due to their cap situation. Big Blue has discussed Barkley and Bradberry in trades, and while they may hang onto the latter until draft weekend, dumping the talented cornerback later in the offseason remains in play. Bradberry’s through-2022 deal already contains a void year, but the Giants would save $11.5MM by designating him as a post-June 1 cut. A trade before or after June 1 would free up more than $12MM in funds, though it remains to be seen how late of a draft pick the Giants would accept for their No. 1 corner.
- The Giants added multiple interior offensive linemen — Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano — last week but are still in need at right tackle. They sent key personnel to Mississippi State prospect Charles Cross‘ pro day Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and assistant O-line coach Tony Sparano Jr. were on-hand in Starkville, Miss., per NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt. Cross said the Giants and Jets have been the teams most interested thus far. Cross is viewed as this draft’s third-best tackle prospect, behind Alabama’s Evan Neal and North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu. The Giants hold two top-10 picks — Nos. 5 and 7 — and will not surprise anyone if they use one of them on an O-lineman.
- James Bradberry and Saquon Barkley remain Giants, but Bradberry’s $21.9MM cap number jumps out on the team’s payroll. The Giants will probably have to jettison Bradberry, even if they would prefer to keep him, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano writes, due to their cap situation. Big Blue has discussed Barkley and Bradberry in trades, and while they may hang onto the latter until draft weekend, dumping the talented cornerback later in the offseason remains in play. Bradberry’s through-2022 deal already contains a void year, but the Giants would save $11.5MM by designating him as a post-June 1 cut. A trade before or after June 1 would free up more than $12MM in funds, though it remains to be seen how late of a draft pick the Giants would accept for their No. 1 corner.
Restructured Deals: Packers, Broncos, Bills, Patriots, Giants
As free agency continues, teams will keep finding ways to open up additional cap. We’ve had a handful of reworked contracts in recent days, which we’ve compiled below:
- The Packers opened $10.15MM in cap space by restructuring the contracts of wideout Randall Cobb (which was previously reported) and safety Adrian Amos, per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). ESPN’s Rob Demovsky tweets that Green Bay turned $5.88MM of Amos’ $7MM base salary into a signing bonus and added four void years.
- The Broncos opened up some space via a pair of restructured deals. Wideout Tim Patrick converted $6.9MM of his roster bonus into a signing bonus, creating around $4.6MM in cap space, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter). The Broncos also converted receiver Courtland Sutton‘s $10.5MM roster bonus into a signing bonus, saving $7.875MM in 2022 cap space, per Klis (on Twitter).
- The Panthers converted $11.765MM of wideout Robby Anderson’s 2022 pay into a signing bonus, creating $5.88MM in cap space, per Yates (on Twitter). Staying in the NFC, Yates also tweets that the Eagles converted $14.88MM of cornerback Darius Slay’s salary into a signing bonus, creating $11.90MM in 2022 cap space.
- The Giants converted $2.63MM of kicker Graham Gano’s salary into a bonus, creating $1.753MM in cap space, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter). The team also added a void year to the contract, something GM Joe Schoen was trying to avoid (per Raanan).
- After getting traded to the Bills, quarterback Case Keenum agreed to rework his contract. Per Yates (on Twitter), Keenum reduced his base salary to $3.5MM. Another AFC East team, the Patriots, also got into the game, reducing defensive end Henry Anderson‘s base salary from $2.5MM to $1.25MM (per Yates).
- Yates passes along three more restructures (on Twitter): the Vikings opened $6MM in cap space by reworking safety Harrison Smith‘s contract, the Bills opened $5.172MM via linebacker Matt Milano‘s contract, and the Titans opened $6.45MM via linebacker Zach Cunningham‘s contract.
Giants Sign Matt Breida
The Giants have added a veteran to their running back room. The team announced the signing of Matt Breida on Monday. 
[RELATED: Giants Cut RB Booker]
Breida, 27, started his career with the 49ers as a UDFA. He spent three seasons there, with his best campaign coming in 2018. He totalled 814 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, along with 261 yards and two more scores in the passing game.
San Francisco then traded him to the Dolphins as part of a draft-day deal. In his lone season in Miami, he started only one of 12 games played, recording 350 scrimmage yards. He then signed with the Bills one year ago, though again he was simply a depth piece. He played only 81 snaps, meaning it doesn’t come as a surprise he is on the move for the third consecutive offseason. Given the presence of Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll in New York, though, Breida will be a familiar face for his new employers.
There are plenty of question marks surrounding the Giants’ RB room at the moment. The most important storyline with regards to the position – if not the team as a whole – is the future of Saquon Barkley. While a trade of the former No. 2 overall pick isn’t imminent, it is still a possibility. Regardless of whether or not Barkley stays in the Big Apple, there should be playing time available for Breida given the recent release of fellow veteran Devontae Booker. The speedster will look to improve a Giants offense which averaged less than 100 yards per game on the ground in 2022.
Giants Sign Jihad Ward
Free agent pass rusher Jihad Ward has found his new home in the NFL. The Giants announced that they have signed the veteran. 
[RELATED: Falcons To Sign LB Carter]
Ward, 27, was a second round pick of the Raiders in 2016. Despite starting 14 of 21 games, however, he was only there for two years, next spending nine games as a Colt split between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The second team he was on that year – the Ravens – is where he first played under Don Martindale. During 21 games in Baltimore, Ward registered four sacks (the most he’s had with any one team), along with two fumble recoveries. His play earned him a deal with the Jaguars, although he only started one of 17 contests in Jacksonville.
By signing with the Giants, Ward will reunite with Martindale, who became the team’s new defensive coordinator earlier this offseason. He will also likely have at least a rotational role available to him, as Lorenzo Carter signed with the Falcons earlier today.
Alongside Ward, New York currently has a pass-rushing corps which includes recent draftees Oshane Ximines, Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith and Quincy Roche. While he will add a veteran presence to the position group, the Giants are widely expected to target more help in that department using one of their two top-ten picks in April’s draft.
Falcons To Sign OLB Lorenzo Carter
Lorenzo Carter posted a lengthy goodbye message to the Giants on Sunday. Less than 24 hours later, the former Day 2 pick has chosen his second NFL employer.
The Falcons are expected to sign him to a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. After bouncing back from a 2020 Achilles tear last season, Carter hit the market last week. This will be a homecoming for the ex-Georgia Bulldog, who is an Atlanta native.
The Giants, despite their recent regime change, had Carter on their radar. The rebuilding NFC East squad attempted to re-sign him this weekend, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com adds (via Twitter), but it appears the sides were not on the same page.
The former third-round pick joins a Falcons team that is retooling on the edge. The Falcons just shed their Dante Fowler contract, though they received little from their non-Fowler sect of edge rushers last season. The team’s 18 sacks ranked last in the NFL, by 11, last season. Fowler is now with the Cowboys, reuniting with Dan Quinn.
Carter’s one-year Atlanta agreement will give him a chance at a better 2023 free agency payday while also providing the Falcons exclusive negotiating rights until that point, should Carter prove effective. He finished with a career-high five sacks last season and has 14.5 in his career.
Big Blue is still putting its edge pieces together as well. Azeez Ojulari had a nice rookie season, and 2019 third-round pick Oshane Ximines remains on the roster. But the Giants should be a candidate to select an outside rusher with one of their two top-10 picks.
Lorenzo Carter Not Returning To Giants
It appears Lorenzo Carter will need to find a new home in the NFL. The pass rusher indicated in an Instagram post that the Giants will not be re-signing him.
The 26-year-old was drafted by New York in the third round in 2018. He posted four sacks in his rookie campaign, and has taken on a larger role in each of the three seasons since. Carter started all but three of the 34 games he played in from 2019 to 2021.
“It’s hard for me to even put in words how blessed I am to have been a part of the New York Football Giants family these past four years”, he wrote, adding, “I’m thankful for everyone that played their part in making my time with the organization so special… as I move on to my next chapter, I’ll never forget the Big Blue“.
The former third round pick has been a consistent contributor during his time in the Big Apple. With the exception of 2020 (in which he only suited up for five contests due to a torn Achilles), Carter totalled between 43 and 50 tackles and either 4.0, 4.5 or 5.0 sacks each year. His career-high totals in both categories in 2021 showed his ability to bounce-back from the serious injury.
Even with Carter, the Giants ranked 24th in the league in sacks last year. Without him, they will likely lean more on the likes of Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith and Quincy Roche, each of whom were drafted in 2021. Carter, meanwhile, will join an edge rusher market which has lost almost all of its marquee names, with the notable exception of Za’Darius Smith.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-Signed: LB Ezekiel Turner
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Marquel Lee
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-Signed: LB Luke Gifford
Denver Broncos
- Re-Signed: DL DeShawn Williams
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: RB Ameer Abdullah
Miami Dolphins
- Re-Signed: TE Durham Smythe
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Jamil Douglas
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: KR/PR Gunner Olszewski
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-Signed: OL Kyle Fuller
Giants To Cut Logan Ryan
The Giants are releasing defensive back Logan Ryan (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Giants will not classify this as a post-June 1 designation, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic (on Twitter), which means they’ll absorb the full dead money hit in 2022. 
[RELATED: Latest On Giants’ Bradberry]
Ryan, 31, first joined the Giants on a one-year, $7.5MM deal. Towards the end of the 2020 season, the Giants re-upped him on a three-year, $31MM extension. That deal has now been cut short — instead of making $9.25MM with the G-Men this year, Ryan is back on the market.
Last year, Ryan logged 117 total tackles, two tackles for loss, a pair of forced fumbles, and eight passes defensed across 15 games. While he’s still productive, he’ll likely have to settle for a lesser deal elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Giants’ new regime still has to figure out what to do with James Bradberry. Teams have made trade inquiries on Dave Gettleman‘s high-priced addition, but the offers have been underwhelming so far. The Giants could keep Bradberry, table trade talks until sometime after the draft, or just release him outright. Cutting Bradberry would save the team upwards of $10MM in 2022.