Giants Renegotiate Cooper Rush’s Deal
Cooper Rush has a new team and a new contract. On Friday, the Giants reworked the quarterback’s deal to reduce his overall price while providing him with some guaranteed dollars (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). 
[RELATED: Giants Sign Mr. Irrelevant]
Rush’s original deal called for $2.113MM in 2020, but that sum was completely non-guaranteed. Now, Rush will see a base value of $1.25MM, with some portion of that being guaranteed. That could bode well for Rush’s chances of making the final cut.
The Giants have Daniel Jones locked in as their starter with Colt McCoy slated to serve as the QB2. Alex Tanney and undrafted rookie Case Cookus are also in the mix, meaning that Rush will be vying with four other quarterbacks for two spots – or potentially just one. Rush has a few things working in his favor. First, there’s the guaranteed chunk of his deal. Second, there’s his longstanding relationship with new Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The same can’t be said for Tanney, a favorite of former head coach Pat Shurmur who has no guaranteed dollars on his contract.
Rush, 26, has appeared in just two NFL games since entering the league with the Cowboys in 2017.
Giants Sign Mr. Irrelevant, Tae Crowder
The last pick of the 2020 NFL Draft was one of the first to sign. On Thursday, “Mr. Irrelevant” Tae Crowder inked his rookie deal with the Giants, per a club announcement.
Crowder – a 6’3″, 245 pound athlete – came to the University of Georgia as a running back in 2015. Midway through his redshirt frosh season, he switched to linebacker. As time wore on, he got more and more burn with the Bulldogs. Last year, he set a new single-game career high with 12 stops against South Carolina and also managed a 60-yard fumble return against Tennessee. All told last season, he had 62 tackles, four for a loss, and four passes defended.
Towards the end of Day 3, Crowder was at the point where he didn’t expect to hear his name called. He certainly didn’t expect a call from the Giants, who had already taken three other linebackers over the course of the weekend. Even though he was likely to land a deal on the UDFA circuit, it was welcome news, especially since the selection reunited him with former UGA coach Kevin Sherrer, who now serves as the Giants’ outside linebackers coach.
Crowder will look to stay relevant in New York/New Jersey and stick on the 53-man roster as a special teams player. Still, it’s a crowded portion of the depth chart with a dozen linebackers vying for a handful of spots behind Kyler Fackrell, David Mayo, Blake Martinez, and Lorenzo Carter.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/5/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
New York Giants
- Waived: WR Reggie White
New York Jets
- Waived: CB Kyron Brown, WR Keon Hatcher, RB Jalin Moore, DE Charles Tapper
Giants Claim QB Cooper Rush Off Waivers From Cowboys
The Giants have claimed Cooper Rush off waivers, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The quarterback was cut by Dallas earlier this week, giving all 31 of the NFL’s other teams an opportunity to grab him.
The move brings Rush back together with Jason Garrett, the Cowboys’ former head coach and the Giants’ current offensive coordinator. Their relationship won’t necessarily guarantee him a spot on the final roster, however.
The Giants have Daniel Jones locked in as their starter with Colt McCoy slated to serve as his primary backup. There’s also Alex Tanney and undrafted rookie Case Cookus on board, making Rush the fifth QB on the offseason roster. For what it’s worth, the Giants have flexibility in this space – Cookus’ UDFA deal is dirt cheap and Tanney’s contract can be dropped without any fiscal penalty between now and the start of the year.
Rush, 26, has appeared in just two NFL games since going pro out of Central Michigan.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/20
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: DT Josh Tupou
New York Giants
- Waived: DE Kevin Wilkins
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DL Treyvon Hester
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Ibraheim Campbell
NFC East Notes: Redskins, Newton, Williams, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants
Things weren’t great down the stretch for the Redskins and Trent Williams, but the new 49ers tackle says he’s not harboring any ill will towards his former team.
“I’m thankful this is over,” Williams told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). “Thanks to Dan [Snyder] and the organization for all they’ve done for me. Still a lot of love for the fans and that locker room. Now I’m focusing on being the best player I can possibly be for the 49ers.”
Now that his saga with the Redskins is in the rear view mirror, Williams is focused on hashing out a new deal with the defending NFC champs. Right now, Williams is set to play out the 2020 season on a $12.5MM base salary, but the veteran says there’s mutual interest in a fresh pact. Given Williams’ medical history and age, it remains to be seen whether the 49ers would be willing to commit substantial guaranteed cash to him. Then again, he’s a seven-time Pro Bowler at a premium position and the Niners, ideally, want to keep him happy.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Were the Redskins ever serious about selecting Tua Tagovailoa instead of stud edge rusher Chase Young? “No, not really,” head coach Ron Rivera said this week (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports). “We just feel about the things we saw from Dwayne Haskins,” Rivera continued. “I feel good enough about him that I’m willing to take that chance, that opportunity.”
- Meanwhile, the longtime Panthers head coach isn’t ruling out a reunion with former MVP Cam Newton (via NFL.com). “You know, the thing about Cam really is the situation,” said Rivera. “We’re in a situation where we’ve got two really young quarterbacks, one that’s been with us, been in the system, understands how we want things done and the other one is a guy who was taken last year in the first round and shows some promise.” For now, Newton is holding out for an opportunity to start.
- The Cowboys coughed up a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Eagles to take Wisconsin lineman Tyler Biadsz last week. The intra-divisional trade wasn’t an easy call, but they were able to stomach it thanks to a wealth of mid-round selections coming their way, The Athletic’s Jon Machota writes. Jerry Jones & Co. will recoup comp picks after losing four starters in free agency: cornerback Byron Jones, edge rusher Robert Quinn, wide receiver Randall Cobb, and defensive tackle Maliek Collins.
- The Giants non-tendered center Jon Halapio earlier this year, but there’s a strong chance he’ll return to the team as he recovers from an Achilles injury, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. For now, the Giants have a few options on hand in guard Shane Lemieux – who has never lined up in the middle – Spencer Pulley, and G/T Nick Gates.
Giants Pick Up 2021 Options For Evan Engram, Jabrill Peppers
The Giants will extend the contracts of 2017 first-rounders Evan Engram and Jabrill Peppers through the 2021 season, the team announced.
This marks the final year fifth-year options will be guaranteed for injury only. Beginning in 2018, teams must fully guarantee players fifth-year salaries if they pick up options. The injury component will be key for Engram.
The fourth-year tight end is coming off a second straight injury-marred season. Engram underwent foot surgery in December. While the Giants would obviously prefer he stay healthy and earn the 2021 salary coming to him, they would only be able to cut Engram free of charge if he can pass a physical by the start of the ’21 league year. Engram has missed 13 games between the 2018-19 seasons.
Engram, however, has given Eli Manning and Daniel Jones an intriguing weapon when healthy. He averaged a career-high 58.4 yards per game last season but only played in eight contests. Engram’s 722 yards as a rookie were the most of any rookie tight end during the 2010s.
Drafted two spots after Engram three years ago — at No. 25 overall — Peppers came over in last year’s Odell Beckham Jr. trade. The former Browns draftee started 11 Giants games last season before suffering a transverse process fracture in his back. Pro Football Focus graded the Michigan product as a middle-of-the-pack safety in 2019. Peppers registered 76 tackles, which were only three shy of his career-high figure despite an injury-shortened season, and intercepted one pass — which he took back for a touchdown.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/28/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DT John Jenkins
Denver Broncos
- Waived: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: DE Anthony Lanier, RB Marcus Marshall
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (Dolphins): S Montre Hartage
- Waived: DB Derrick Baity, TE C.J. Conrad, LS Colin Holba, LS Drew Scott, P Sean Smith, C Tanner Volson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers (Lions): G Casey Tucker
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed off waivers (Jaguars): DB Jayson Stanley
Jenkins, 30, spent the 2017 season with the Bears before spending time with the Giants and Dolphins. In Miami last year, he started five times and appeared in all 16 games. He finished out the year with 34 total tackles and his first sack since 2015. The deal also reunites him with old colleague Ryan Pace, the Bears GM who worked in the Saints’ front office when Jenkins was drafted back in 2013.
Giants Place UFA Tender On Markus Golden
The Giants are using a rarely-used tender in an attempt to retain pass rusher Markus Golden. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that New York has slapped the linebacker/defensive end with a UFA tender.
Thanks to this transaction, Golden will only be eligible to play for the Giants if he remains unsigned past July 22nd (or the first day of training camp, whichever is later). Of course, this means that the 29-year-old still has almost three months to negotiate a contract with a new team, and he will still count towards the 2021 compensatory pick formula.
The former second-rounder showed flashes during his four seasons in Arizona, including a 12.5-sack campaign back in 2016. He caught on with the Giants last offseason, inking a one-year, $3.75MM deal. He proceeded to have one of the best seasons of his career, as he compiled 72 tackles and 10 sacks in a career-high 16 starts.
We heard earlier this month that Golden was unlikely to return to the Giants, with sources indicating the pass rusher was seeking “too much money.”
NFC East Teams Sign Players Via International Player Pathway Program
As part of this year’s International Player Pathway program, each team in the NFC East will be allowed to carry an extra, international player on their practice squad. The four organizations quickly filled these spots (via David Helman of DallasCowboys.com):
- Dallas Cowboys: OT Isaac Alarcon (Mexico)
- New York Giants: RB Sandro Platzgummer (Austria)
- Philadelphia Eagles: DE Matt Leo (Australia)
- Washington Redskins: DE David Bada (Germany)
These players will remain on their teams’ roster through training camp. At that point, each organization can sign the player to their practice squad via the “international player practice squad exemption.” This means NFC East squads can hold 11 practice squad players throughout the 2020 campaign. However, under these circumstances, the international players can’t be activated to the active roster during the 2020 season.
The International Player Pathway program was first introduced in 2017. As Helman notes, three players from last year’s program – fullback Jakob Johnson (Patriots), defensive tackle Durval Queiroz Neto (Dolphins), and running back Christian Wade (Bills) – are still with their original teams.