Giants To Sign TE Levine Toilolo
The Giants have agreed to sign former 49ers tight end Levine Toilolo, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Toilolo will help fill the void following the retirement of veteran Rhett Ellison. 
Toilolo, 29 in July, spent the first five years of his career with the Falcons and joined the Lions for his sixth season. Last year, he hooked on with the Niners on a one-year deal.
Like Ellison, Toilolo has built a rep for his blocking ability. He’s also flashed some catching ability in the past – with Atlanta in 2014, he hauled in 31 catches for 238 yards. And, in 2016, he stretched the field a bit with a 20.3 yards-per-catch average on a limited sample of receptions. In 2018, with the Lions, he had 21 catches for 263 yards.
The Giants have had a busy start to the week. Already, they’ve agreed to deals with former Packers linebacker Blake Martinez and ex-Panthers cornerback James Bradberry.
Giants To Sign LB Blake Martinez
The Giants have agreed to sign Packers free agent linebacker Blake Martinez, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Once finalized on or after Wednesday, it’ll be a three-year deal worth $30MM. 
Martinez, 26, has landed an uncommonly lucrative deal for a middle linebacker. Still, it’s important to remember that the market has shifted in recent years, with big names like C.J. Mosley and Bobby Wagner leading the way. The Giants hope that their deal with Martinez turns out better than the Jets’ pact with Mosley; of course, the age differential between the two players is key. Martinez’s best years are still ahead of him and the Giants were happy to pay the price to land him.
Martinez turned in another productive season in 2019, tallying a career-high 155 tackles to go along with three sacks, two passes defended, an interception, and one forced fumble. The linebacker has finished with at least 140 tackles in each of the past three seasons.
The Martinez signing came hours after the club also agreed to terms with Panthers free agent cornerback James Bradberry. Giants GM Dave Gettleman is intent on revamping the team’s swiss cheese defense this offseason and he’s doing so with his trademark aggressiveness.
James Bradberry To Sign With Giants
Another one of the top free agents is off the board. Cornerback James Bradberry will be going to the Giants on a three-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Bradberry’s pact will be worth $45MM, with $32MM of it being guaranteed. We heard a couple of weeks ago that the Panthers were unlikely to re-sign Bradberry, with Carolina being reluctant to dole out this kind of cash as they enter somewhat of a rebuild. The Jets were interested in Bradberry as were many other teams, meaning the Jets have been interested in but unable to land seemingly every big free agent so far.
Bradberry was one of the top corners available and he likely helped set the market for Byron Jones, who agreed to sign with the Dolphins moments later. Bradberry was drafted by the Panthers in the second-round back in 2016, and spent his first four years in Carolina. He’s started at least 15 games in each of the past three years, and has had at least ten passes defended in each of his four pro seasons.
The Giants’ secondary struggled mightily last year, so this was very much a position of need for them. They cut long-time starter Janoris Jenkins towards the end of last year after multiple clashes with the coaching staff, and were left with a bunch of inexperienced young guys at corner. First-round pick Deandre Baker was a disappointment as a rookie, and New York is hoping Bradberry can provide some stability to the unit. It’s the first major move of the Joe Judge era.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/20
Monday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at original-round level:
- Bengals: TE Cethan Carter, G Alex Redmond, DT Josh Tupou, S Brandon Wilson
- Broncos: WR Tim Patrick
- Dolphins: LB Vince Biegel, P Matt Haack
- Raiders: QB Nathan Peterman, LB Nicholas Morrow
- Seahawks: WR David Moore, C Joey Hunt, DE Branden Jackson
Non-tendered:
- Bills: WR Isaiah McKenzie
- Dolphins: S Adrian Colbert, LB Deon Lacey
- Eagles: RB Corey Clement
- Giants: C Jon Halapio
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Broncos: S Trey Marshall, WR Diontae Spencer, CB Shakial Taylor
- Browns: Pharaoh Brown, RB Dontrell Hilliard, WR KhaDarel Hodge
- Chiefs: G Andrew Wylie
- Colts: DB Rolan Milligan
- Lions: CB Dee Virgin
- Ravens: RB Gus Edwards
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: TE David Wells
Raiders To Sign Nick Kwiatkoski
The Raiders have agreed to sign former Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Kwiatkoski has also personally confirmed the news, tweeting out a picture of the Raiders’ new stadium.
It’s a three-year deal for the free agent defender, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The longtime Bears backup/part-time starter will receive $21MM in this deal, with $13.5MM guaranteed, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Giants were also in the mix for the four-year veteran, per Garafolo (on Twitter).
Kwiatkoski will make $6.75MM in base salary this season, and Albert Breer of SI.com tweets the linebacker has a $3.4MM roster bonus that is essentially guaranteed at signing. He will receive that payment in five days.
The Bears watched Kwiatkoski progress into a legitimate contributor since he was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. However, after signing fellow linebacker Danny Trevathan to a three-year extension, the Bears decided to let Kwiatkoski walk via free agency. Jon Gruden, who has been eager to fortify his front seven, was happy to take him on.
Kwiatkoski, 27 in May, had perfect attendance for his last two seasons and started in half of his contests last year. In 2019, he logged 76 stops, three sacks, one interception, and four passes defensed.
Kwiatkoski, a well-respected run-stuffer, also stepped up his pass-rush pressure last year. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus gave him an 81.8 grade in that category, showing that he’s trending towards even better things. The Broncos and Giants were among the clubs that were connected to him – at least, speculatively – before the deal with Las Vegas.
Giants Interested In OLB Jordan Jenkins
Shortly after franchise-tagging ex-Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams, the Giants have emerged as a suitor for longtime Williams teammate Jordan Jenkins.
The Giants are indeed interested in Jenkins, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Jenkins has spent his entire career with the Jets, becoming their top edge rusher over the past two seasons.
Jenkins, 25, has posted 15 sacks over the past two seasons. While the Jets tried to acquire higher-profile outside linebackers during that time — namely Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr — they turned to Jenkins as their top sack artist.
Big Blue has been linked to Jadeveon Clowney while also being skittish about the price tag the former No. 1 overall pick will carry. Jenkins would be a more cost-efficient option, but the Giants also may lose top incumbent pass rusher Markus Golden. So, they feature multiple needs at outside linebacker.
Giants Tender K Aldrick Rosas
The Giants will give their kicker a raise. They are placing a second-round RFA tender on Aldrick Rosas, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post tweets.
This will bump Rosas’ 2020 salary to $3.3MM. He made $645K in 2019. Rosas joined the Giants as a UDFA out of Southern Oregon and has been Big Blue’s kicker in each of the team’s past 48 games.
Rosas received Pro Bowl recognition in 2018, making 32 of 33 field goals that season. He was less effective in 2019, making just 12 of 17 tries and missing four extra points. But the Giants will show faith in their 25-year-old specialist and can check this mid-level business item off their extensive offseason to-do list.
Giants To Franchise Leonard Williams
The Giants surprised most by trading for Leonard Williams at last year’s deadline, and the team will not let the former top-10 pick hit free agency. Big Blue is expected to use its franchise tag on Williams, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
While this qualifies as one of the more interesting tag decisions in recent years, this will allow the Giants to minimize the trade haul they will send to the Jets. The Giants only have to deal third- and fourth-round picks to the Jets if they extend Williams by the start of the new league year. A Giants franchise tag, instead, means Gang Green will only receive third- and fifth-rounders, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY confirms (via Twitter).
Williams has a Pro Bowl on his resume, but the 2015 No. 6 overall pick has not lived up to expectations. He registered merely a half-sack in 2019 and posted just two tackles for loss in his season with both New York teams. This move will either cost the Giants $17.8MM — if Williams is tagged as a defensive end — or $16.1MM (the defensive tackle price).
A Williams tag also may impact the Giants’ prospects at landing one of the top non-tagged outside linebackers on the market. They are rumored to be interested in Jadeveon Clowney but reportedly not willing to authorize a top-market contract for the former No. 1 overall pick.
Giants Sign David Mayo To Three-Year Extension
The Giants are locking up one of their own shortly before the start of free agency. New York has signed linebacker David Mayo to a three-year extension, according to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post (Twitter link). Dan Duggan of The Athletic was the first to report the news (Twitter link).
Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but we’ll pass those along to you as soon as we get word. 2019 was Mayo’s first year with New York, and he enjoyed a breakout season. He appeared in all 16 games and started 13, receiving very strong marks from Pro Football Focus for his work. Now, he’s being rewarded with what is presumably a nice payday. He finished last season with 82 tackles, two sacks, and two passes defended, serving mostly as a run-stuffer.
All told, he played a hair under 57 percent of the defensive snaps. A Texas State product, Mayo entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Panthers back in 2015. He barely played on defense his first couple of years in the league, before earning a small role his last two seasons in Carolina.
He was mostly a special teams player with the Panthers, and signed a two-year deal with the 49ers last offseason. San Francisco released him at final cuts, and the Giants didn’t even sign him until September 2nd. It was a pretty late pickup that ended up paying major dividends, and turning into a nice diamond in the rough find.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
New York Giants
- Waived/failed physical: T George Asafo-Adjei
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Chris Milton