NFL Suspends LB Akeem Ayers
Veteran linebacker Akeem Ayers, who finished the 2017 season with the Giants, has been suspended for the first four weeks of the season, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The reason for the suspension is not yet known.
Ayers finished out the 2016 season with 18 tackles, two sacks, and one interception for the Colts. He graded out as the No. 54 edge defender in the NFL out of 110 qualified players in that season, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Last year, he dressed for six games for the G-Men and registered one tackle.
Ayers, who is presently without a team, offers experience as a starter from his time with the Titans (2011-2013) and Rams (2015). In 2014, he won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots.
The 28-year-old linebacker’s played on five different teams since the 2014 season. His work with the Patriots earned him a two-year, $6MM deal with the Rams. Although Ayers started 11 games and played in all 16 St. Louis contests in 2015, the team did not keep him around for its Los Angeles move. Ayers then ventured to the Colts, for whom he played all 16 games in 2016.
The Giants signed him midway through last season, after Ayers spent plenty of time working out for various teams in hopes of another shot.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/3/18
Here are Thursday’s minor moves.
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: DB Robertson Daniel
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: TE Orson Charles
- Waived: DT Josh Augusta
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Orion Stewart
Giants Did Not Have Consensus On Draft’s Top QB
The Giants were enamored with Saquon Barkley to the point they didn’t waste much time turning in their card. And the team is now prepared to enter the season without a surefire heir apparent behind Eli Manning.
It turns out, Big Blue’s brass didn’t appear to have a consensus among which of the quarterbacks they would take, with Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reporting different sects of the Giants’ decision-makers preferred three separate signal-callers. And they didn’t feel strongly enough about one of them to pull the trigger at No. 2.
Mostly, the Giants were down to Sam Darnold or Josh Allen, with some Josh Rosen support in the building as well. Schwartz reports there wasn’t much love for Baker Mayfield among the new-look Giants power structure.
If it were up to Pat Shurmur, Allen would have been the quarterback pick — had the franchise been leaning in that direction. Upside drew Shurmur to Allen. However, the Giants would have selected Bradley Chubb if Barkley wasn’t available, per Schwartz.
The Giants placed the same grade on Barkley and Chubb, but the Penn State running back was listed atop Chubb’s name on Big Blue’s board. They proceeded accordingly, and are “ecstatic,” Schwartz writes.
Additionally, Schwartz lists second-round pick Will Hernandez as a near-surefire starter at guard. Hernandez caught the Giants’ eye at the Senior Bowl, and one staffer told Schwartz the the team’s consensus was the UTEP lineman’s Combine performance would not have him available by the time New York’s second-round window opened. The Giants signed Patrick Omameh in free agency and still have returning starter John Jerry on the roster. And Schwartz adds that Lorenzo Carter could well get a strong push to start ahead of free agency addition Kareem Martin, the latter’s knowledge of James Bettcher’s system notwithstanding.
Giants Turn Down Ereck Flowers’ Option
You knew this one was coming. The Giants will decline tackle Ereck Flowers’ fifth-year option, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter). 
Flowers remains under contract for the 2018 season, but it’s far from a certainty that he’ll remain with the Giants. Dave Gettleman worked hard to trade Flowers during last week’s draft, but was unable to find a taker – even at a modest asking price of a mid-round pick. Just three years ago, Flowers was selected ninth overall by the Giants.
The Giants reportedly do not plan on cutting Flowers in the near future, but one has to imagine that it’s at least a consideration for the team. Flowers has badly underperformed in his three years in New York and the team would save $2.2MM in bonuses by cutting ties. At the same time, his contract would still leave the Giants with nearly $4.6MM in dead money.
With his future hanging in the balance, Flowers has obtained the services of power agent Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus, presumably, will try to steer Flowers towards a team that will start him in 2018.
Giants Sign DT A.J. Francis
One team’s trash can be a rival’s treasure. On Wednesday, the Giants signed defensive tackle A.J. Francis. 
Francis was released by the Redskins this week as a part of their defensive line overhaul. The 6’5″, 337-pound lineman has bounced around the NFL, but the Giants are curious to kick the tires on him. Details on Francis’ deal are not currently known, but it is likely a one-year deal for the minimum salary with little or no guarantees. If Francis doesn’t pan out, the Giants can easily move on and release him before the final 53-man cut in September.
Francis has played in nine regular season games – one for the Dolphins, two for the Seahawks, and six for the Redskins. Last year, he had 18 total tackles (five solo) for the Redskins. Interestingly, his best game of the year came in the season finale against the Giants when he recorded six tackles.
Giants Sign QB Alex Tanney
The Giants have signed quarterback Alex Tanney. The journeyman broke the news himself via Twitter on Wednesday.
Tanney becomes the fourth quarterback on the Giants’ roster, joining starter Eli Manning, 2017 third-round pick Davis Webb, and 2018 fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta. Tanney comes with only limited NFL experience, but Lauletta is a late-round rookie and Webb did not throw a pass in his only pro season. As a holdover of the previous regime, Webb may be on shaky ground with GM Dave Gettleman, so Tanney may have an opportunity to stick on the roster.
Tanney, a product of Division III Monmouth College in Illinois, has bounced around the league since entering as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He has signed contracs with the Chiefs, Cowboys, Browns, Bucs, Titans (twice), Bills, and Colts. The Giants deal marks his ninth NFL pact and the eighth new jersey for his collection.
Tanney has 14 NFL passes to his credit (all coming in 2015), but he is perhaps best known for his trick shot highlight reel that went viral in 2011.
Giants Not Planning To Cut Ereck Flowers
While former first-round pick Ereck Flowers has started to wear out his welcome in New York, the Giants don’t have any intention of waiving him in the near future, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
The Giants — who will bump Flowers from left to right tackle following their offseason acquisition of veteran Nate Solder — shopped the 24-year-old during the draft, and despite asking for only a mid-round pick in talks, were unable to find any club willing to meet their price tag. In fact, one team told New York that their ask was “significantly” too steep for its liking.
Flowers, who failed to show up for voluntary workouts last month, has never lived up to expectations after being selected ninth overall in 2015. While he does come with plenty of experience (46 starts over the past three seasons), Flowers has never been effective. 2017 marked his best campaign to date, but that only resulted in Flowers grading as the league’s No. 54 tackle among 81 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
The Giants almost certainly won’t pick up Flowers’ 2019 fifth-year option, as it would be worth $12.525MM if exercised. Flowers today hired Drew Rosenhaus as his new agent, but Rosenhaus is more likely to negotiate Flowers’ next contract with a new team than an extension with New York. If the Giants cut ties with Flowers, they’d take on more than $4.5MM in dead money without realizing any cap savings.
Patriots Wanted Baker Mayfield?
The Browns weren’t the only team that had Baker Mayfield ranked as the top quarterback in this year’s class. The Patriots considered trading up to the No. 2 pick in order to take the Oklahoma product, his agent tells Andrew Brandt of The MMQB (audio link). 
“We had another team which is going to surprise you. Another team had said, ‘You may get a big surprise on draft day, at No. 2, if he’s available.’ And it was the Patriots,” Mills said. “They had 23 and they had 31 and they had two seconds. We thought, ‘That’s gonna be a heck of a move, to get up that high from where they are.’ And of course he wasn’t available so we never knew if that was reality or not.”
There was speculation that the Patriots could move up in the draft for a quarterback and it’s possible that Mayfield was their one and only target in that respect. Even if Mayfield had fallen to No. 2, however, it’s not clear whether they would have had the ammo necessary to get a deal done. The Pats’ late first round picks could have easily vaulted them into the top ten, but that might not have been enough to entice Giants GM Dave Gettleman to walk away from Saquon Barkley. Even with a pair of second rounders to work with, it’s hard to say whether the Pats and Giants could have been a match.
Had the Pats landed Mayfield, it would have sparked serious drama in New England and New York. The Patriots would have had to deal with Tom Brady‘s reaction, the Giants would have risked giving up on potential generational talent, and the Jets would have to face Mayfield – who some say was their top QB target – twice per season.
But, that’s all one big “What if?” now that Mayfield is in Cleveland.
Giants’ Ereck Flowers Hires Agent Drew Rosenhaus
The Giants tried their darnedest to find a trade for Ereck Flowers during the draft, so the former first-round pick is understandably concerned about his football future. On Tuesday, the tackle hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, the agent announced on Twitter. 
Flowers entered the NFL without the services of an agent in order to avoid paying out a portion of his contract. Later on, he hired his own father as an advisor once he obtained the proper certification from the NFLPA. Everald Flowers will continue to serve as a rep for his son, but Rosenhaus will ostensibly be in charge of either smoothing things out with the Giants or navigating him to a better situation for 2018.
Flowers has started at left tackle for the G-Men for the past three seasons, but he’s presently in line to compete for the team’s right tackle job after the signing of free agent Nate Solder. The Giants are not expected to pick up Flowers’ fifth-year option before the Thursday deadline, so he’s effectively entering his contract year. Even if another team acquires Flowers in the next 48 hours, it seems unlikely that he’d have the $12.525MM option exercised.
If the Giants release Flowers outright, they’ll save themselves $2.2MM in roster bonuses, but they’ll be left with nearly $4.6MM in dead money.
Giants Received One Strong Offer For No. 2
- Dave Gettleman didn’t seem too interested in the interest that came his way for the No. 2 pick, but the Giants‘ first-year GM did tell WFAN (via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com, on Twitter) one team made a respectable offer. It’s uncertain which team supplied such a proposal, but before the draft, a report emerged indicating the Broncos had interest in moving up to No. 2. Elway held Sam Darnold atop his quarterback-prospect hierarchy but elected to stay put and take Chubb.