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Giants Sign DT Jordan Phillips

April 11th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants have added some ex-Bills pieces on offense this offseason, bringing in Devin Singletary and Isaiah McKenzie. A defender from GM Joe Schoen‘s days in Buffalo will follow the skill-position players to the Big Apple.

Jordan Phillips is joining the Giants, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Enjoying two stints in Buffalo, Phillips overlapped with Schoen during his first run with the team. The 31-year-old defensive tackle will likely vie for a depth role with the Giants. The team has now announced the signing. This also reunites Phillips — a 2015 Dolphins second-rounder — with ex-Miami GM Dennis Hickey, who is now in the Giants’ front office.

Schoen was with the Bills as assistant GM when they claimed Phillips off waivers from the Dolphins in 2018. In 2019, the imposing inside presence set a career-high mark with 9.5 sacks. That showing led to a Cardinals free agency pact, but that deal did not end up providing much value for Arizona. After the Cardinals cut Phillips in 2022, he ended up back in Buffalo. While this brought a depth role in 2022, DaQuan Jones‘ early-season injury required more work from Phillips last season. The 341-pound defender started nine games in 2023.

The Giants roster one of the NFL’s best D-tackles, in Dexter Lawrence, but traded Leonard Williams to the Seahawks before last year’s deadline. The team also lost 2023 pickup A’Shawn Robinson in free agency; Robinson joined the Panthers last month. Phillips will be in the mix to supply some depth in a group that also includes Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson.

Pro Football Focus did not view Phillips as a productive player last season. The advanced metrics site graded the nine-year veteran as the second-worst DT regular, slotting him 129th overall. Phillips recorded 2.5 sacks and batted down five passes with the Bills. He has aided the team in the run game as well — most notably in 2019, when he posted 13 tackles for loss.

As Jones re-emerged from IR despite a torn pec, the Bills did not have Phillips to close out last season. Phillips ended the year on IR, suffering a dislocated wrist that kept him out of Buffalo’s final three regular-season games and both playoff contests. This signing also comes after the former second-round pick considered retirement earlier this year. Deciding against hanging up his cleats, Phillips will attempt to help a Giants team that also rosters ex-Bills D-end Boogie Basham.

Traded NFL Draft Picks For 2024

April 10th, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the 2024 draft nears, numerous picks have already changed hands. A handful of picks have already been moved twice, with a few being traded three times. Multiple deals from 2021 impact this draft. Here are the 2024 picks to have been traded thus far:

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

QB Jayden Daniels To Meet With Six Teams

April 9th, 2024 at 7:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

TODAY, 7:20pm: Daniels’ visit with the Commanders has officially been scheduled. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the quarterback will visit with the team next Monday and Tuesday.

MARCH 27, 11:00am: Jayden Daniels is going through an abbreviated pro day Wednesday. The 2023 Heisman winner is expected to throw, but NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe notes the LSU product is not planning to perform other drills. He will then prepare for a cross-country tour of “30” visits.

The fast-rising prospect already has six meetings scheduled, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The Commanders, Patriots, Giants, Vikings, Broncos and Raiders are planning to meet with Daniels. This sextet of teams makes sense due to QB needs or draft proximity.

The Bears not being included is notable, and the team not meeting with the dual-threat talent would only further solidify its intentions of starting the draft with a Caleb Williams pick. Considering the 2022 Heisman winner has hovered over this draft class for months, the Bears not taking a meeting with another QB prospect would not be too surprising. Then again, a Chicago meeting could emerge down the road during the pre-draft process. Ryan Poles, however, is among several prominent execs or HCs at the pro day.

As should be expected, Antonio Pierce is at LSU’s pro day. The Raiders HC has offered persistent Daniels praise, after being on Arizona State’s staff during the QB prospect’s time with the Sun Devils. Jerod Mayo, Dan Quinn, Dennis Allen, Adam Peters and Joe Hortiz are among the other HCs and execs in attendance today in Baton Rouge, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham joins his boss at the pro day, per Breer.

High-end wide receiver prospect Malik Nabers is also generating considerable attention, as should be expected. After declining to weigh in at the Combine, Daniels checked in at 210 pounds today, per Breer.

Each of the teams preparing to bring in Daniels holds a pick between Nos. 2 and 13. The Raiders are on the low end here, landing at No. 13 after they completed a sweep of the Broncos in Week 18. Although mock drafts have regularly sent Daniels to Washington or New England at No. 2 or No. 3, Las Vegas has been consistently connected to him. Daniels attended the Raiders’ regular-season finale to support Pierce, celebrating with the team in the locker room after the game. Connected to a potential trade-up, the Raiders are also believed to have brought up Daniels during their OC search.

The Vikings (No. 11) and Broncos (No. 12) reside well outside of Daniels range as well, but both are logically being tied to a trade-up maneuver. Minnesota acquired Houston’s first-round pick (No. 27), providing more ammo to climb up for a passer. Denver does not have its second-rounder, sending it to New Orleans for Sean Payton, and traded three first-round picks — for Payton and Russell Wilson — from 2022-23. Although the Broncos are planning to acquire another veteran to compete with Jarrett Stidham, they will surely be in on first-round QBs.

Washington (No. 2) and New England (No. 3) have clear needs. How the Commanders proceed will be a pivot point in this draft, with the team now tied to three passers — Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy — at No. 2. Patriots trade-down rumblings have emerged, though a previous rumor suggested some of the team’s scouts are higher on Daniels than Maye. The Pats are doing considerable recon ahead of their Daniels meeting, with Breer adding nine New England representatives are on-hand today.

If the Commanders want Daniels, trade-ups will not factor into the equation. The Giants could also be left out if they are eyeing last year’s Heisman recipient, seeing as the Commanders will be unlikely to trade them the No. 2 pick. Steadily linked to QBs despite Daniel Jones‘ employment, New York has a big-picture decision to make. The team, which holds the No. 6 pick, can easily move on from Jones by 2025. The Giants have already met with Maye and McCarthy.

Transferring to LSU in 2022, Daniels broke through with a dominant final season and became the second Tigers QB to win the Heisman in four years. Following Joe Burrow, Daniels obviously displayed a more versatile skillset than the pocket passer. Accounting for 50 TDs (40 passing) last season, Daniels paired 3,812 passing yards with 1,134 on the ground. The ex-Arizona State recruit completed 72.2% of his passes, setting himself up to go early in this year’s draft.

Giants Sign WR Miles Boykin

April 9th, 2024 at 5:47pm CST by Ben Levine

After spending his first five seasons in the AFC North, Miles Boykin will be looking to continue his career in the NFC. The Giants announced today that they’ve signed the veteran wide receiver.

The former third-round pick showed some promise through his first two years in the NFL. In 32 games with the Ravens between 2019 and 2020, Boykin hauled in 32 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns.

Things haven’t gone nearly as well over the past three seasons. Between 2021 and 2023, the receiver has only caught six passes in 41 games with the Ravens and Steelers. His offensive role has basically dried up; after averaging 485 offensive snaps per season through his first two years in the NFL, he’s only averaged 96 offensive snaps per season over the past three campaigns. Still, he’s managed to contribute on special teams, culminating in a 2023 season where he got in a career-high 316 ST snaps.

The Giants haven’t done a whole lot to address their WR situation this offseason. Prior to today’s move, the team added Isaiah McKenzie to a group of holdovers that includes Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and Isaiah Hodgins.

Giants Looking Into Veteran RBs

April 9th, 2024 at 12:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored to be interested in a mid-round running back last year, the Giants waited until Round 5 (Eric Gray) to make that move. As a result of their plan last year, a talent gulf existed between Saquon Barkley and the rest of the Giants’ backfield.

To be fair, Barkley is talented enough that would be the case for several teams. But the Giants did not roster a notable backup in 2023. With Barkley on the franchise tag, that strategy was somewhat curious — especially given the six-year starter’s injury history. Barkley is now an Eagle, and the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll duo reunited with Devin Singletary on a midlevel deal. The team may not be eyeing only the draft to supplement Singletary.

[RELATED: Giants Sign RB Dante Miller]

The Giants are in the market for a veteran backup to team with Singletary, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes (subscription required). The Giants balked at re-tagging Barkley, though they were among the four teams that made an offer. The Schoen-led front office viewed Barkley as too expensive. Singletary is now in place as New York’s starter, having signed a three-year, $16.5MM deal with $9.5MM guaranteed at signing. It would surprise if Big Blue was willing to spend much to add a veteran complement, but given Singletary’s history, the team’s primary backup may not be on the roster yet.

The 5-foot-7 back has topped 190 carries in a season once — last year, when the Texans gave him 216 handoffs — but Duggan does add the recent free agency addition should be expected to operate in a workhorse capacity. This would be an interesting strategy. While Daboll did coach Singletary for three seasons in Buffalo, Zack Moss was in the picture for two of those campaigns. Singletary has logged 888 career carries. That number is considerably lower than Barkley’s (1,201), and while the former has proven durable (two missed games in the 2020s), he is not exactly built for bellcow-like workloads.

A few veterans of note remain available. Ezekiel Elliott has once again been connected to the Cowboys, but the two-time rushing champion is unattached. J.K. Dobbins has visited the Chargers and Chiefs; the latter ended up re-signing Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the day of the visit. Cam Akers is unsigned; he joins Dobbins in coming off a severe injury. Kareem Hunt, Rashaad Penny and Boston Scott — he of some success against the Giants — join multiyear Barkley backup Matt Breida as available backs. Breida, 29, averaged just 2.7 yards per carry in 2023; though, the ex-49er fared better under Daboll in 2021 and ’22.

A mid-round RB addition certainly makes sense, though this year’s class is not regarded as highly as 2023’s. Gray and 2021 sixth-rounder Gary Brightwell represent the Giants’ current top backup options. That probably will not be the case when training camp begins.

Darren Waller Addresses Timetable For Retirement Call

April 9th, 2024 at 11:14am CST by Sam Robinson

Seeing Evan Engram prosper with the Jaguars, the Giants made a move to bring in a comparable receiving tight end by trading for Darren Waller last year. But that addition brought more Waller injury trouble; now, the former Pro Bowler remains uncertain on playing in 2024.

Considering retirement after a few injury-marred seasons, Waller looks to still have a place with the Giants. The ex-Raiders standout brings an upper-echelon skillset as a receiving tight end, and the Giants would not have an easy time — particularly at this juncture — replacing him. Waller, 31, plans to inform the team of his decision before the June hiatus between minicamp and training camp. While informing the Giants by the draft would give them the opportunity to find a young replacement hopeful, Waller cannot guarantee he will decide by then.

“That would be ideal, but I also don’t want to put that on myself,” Waller said (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur) of informing the Giants by the draft. “It’s gotta be before summer break, for sure.”

The prospect of a Waller retirement surfaced in early March, but the Giants did not add a starter-caliber tight end in free agency. The position became thinner before the market opened, with Dalton Schultz re-signing with the Texans and Hunter Henry staying with the Patriots. Noah Fant re-signed with the Seahawks during the legal tampering period. Mike Gesicki was available, but he is now with the Bengals for just $2.5MM. Following his Falcons release, Jonnu Smith joined the Dolphins. Gerald Everett rejoined Shane Waldron in Chicago.

Blocking tight end Chris Manhertz and ex-Eagles backup Jack Stoll joined the Giants, but if Waller is truly done, they need another option. Daniel Bellinger remains under contract, but he amassed just 255 receiving yards in 17 games last season. Bellinger also missed a chunk of his rookie year due to injury.

Although Waller missed five games due to more hamstring trouble, he totaled 552 receiving yards. Considering the limited opportunities the Giants’ passing attack offered its aerial cogs last season, that is a fairly impressive number. Only Darius Slayton (770) topped that. The Giants have a major need at wide receiver, but if Waller returns, their passing game would present a higher floor.

Currently helping tight end prospects train for the draft, Waller would need to inform the Giants of his plans in early June if he is to make good on his timetable. The team’s minicamp runs from June 11-13. As part of the extension Waller signed with the Raiders in 2022, he is due $10.53MM in base salary in 2024; that figure is nonguaranteed.

DB Logan Ryan Announces Retirement

April 9th, 2024 at 8:17am CST by Sam Robinson

Nearly two months after returning to the Super Bowl stage, Logan Ryan is stepping away from football. The versatile defensive back announced his retirement after 11 seasons Tuesday morning (video link).

The former Patriots draftee later made his way to the Titans, Giants, Buccaneers and 49ers. The San Francisco agreement did not come to pass until early December, shortly after Talanoa Hufanga‘s season-ending injury. Ryan, 33, went from spending most of 2023 out of football to playing 62 defensive snaps in Super Bowl LVIII. He closes his career with 19 interceptions.

That marked Ryan’s third Super Bowl appearance. The 2013 third-rounder was a backup cornerback in Super Bowl XLIX but a starter by the time the Patriots returned to a Super Bowl two years later. Ryan played every Patriots defensive snap in their historic comeback past the Falcons, parlaying that season into a three-year, $30MM Titans contract.

A Rutgers alum, Ryan started 124 games and suited up for 19 playoff contests. Primarily playing cornerback in New England and Tennessee, Ryan was one of the top tacklers at the position during this NFL period. That helped a transition to safety commence during his Giants tenure. The Giants picked up Ryan late in the 2020 offseason and handed the New Jersey native an extension (three years, $31MM) months after that signing.

During Ryan’s final Titans season (2019), the team voyaged to its first AFC championship game since 2002. The 5-foot-11 defender had returned from a broken leg that ended his 2018 season. Ryan helped the 2019 Titans’ cause by making 113 tackles — 31 more than any other corner registered that season — as primarily a slot defender. Ryan’s 2019 playoffs included a pick-six on Tom Brady, ending the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII title defense in the wild-card round. Ryan also intercepted a pass and sacked Brock Osweiler during the Patriots’ divisional-round win over the Texans in 2016.

The COVID-19-marred 2020 offseason led to several veterans lingering in free agency for months, as visits were shut down for an extended period. Ryan belatedly landed with the Giants on August 31, 2020, soon completing the transition to a safety role. This came after he displayed high-level blitzing chops, tallying 8.5 sacks over his final two Titans seasons.

Teaming with Xavier McKinney in 2021, Ryan notched a career-high 117 tackles in his second Giants season. Ryan’s two Giants years overlapped with ex-Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge’s New York tenure. The team moved on shortly after hiring Joe Schoen as GM, cutting Ryan and letting Jabrill Peppers join the Patriots in free agency. The Giants have since passed on re-signing ex-Ryan safety teammates McKinney and Julian Love, effectively starting over at the position.

The Buccaneers gave Ryan an opportunity in 2022, but a foot fracture limited his on-field work in Tampa. Ryan played in nine games with the Bucs, starting six, but the team did not bring him back in 2023. The 49ers reached out to Ryan following Hufanga’s injury, encouraging him to go on a booked cruise with his family before joining the team for the stretch run. After playing 12 defensive snaps over his first three 49ers games, Ryan was on the field for every San Francisco defensive play in Week 17, as the team wrapped up home-field advantage. He then played 100% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps against the Packers in the divisional round.

Ryan moved into the San Francisco slot role by Super Bowl LVIII and was the closest defender in coverage on Mecole Hardman‘s game-winning touchdown — one that wrapped the NFL’s longest Super Bowl — but the veteran safety/corner provided the 49ers with some pivotal reps leading up to that point. Discounting a short-field, one-play TD possession in the third quarter, it took the Chiefs until overtime to mount a touchdown drive against the 49ers. Ryan played in both the NFL’s overtime Super Bowls.

Over his career, Ryan earned just more than $69MM. The Titans authorized Ryan’s biggest contract, one he played out in the late 2010s, but he earned more than $15MM with the Giants as well.

Giants Re-Sign Isaiah Simmons

April 9th, 2024 at 8:09am CST by Sam Robinson

APRIL 10: Simmons will stay with the Giants on a one-year deal worth $2MM, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets. The deal will include $1.4MM guaranteed for the former Cardinals starter.

APRIL 5: Last summer, Isaiah Simmons saw his time with the Cardinals come to an end. The former top-10 pick was dealt to the Giants with the hope of finding a consistent role on his new team.

Simmons succeeded in earning himself an extended stay in New York. The Giants announced on Friday that he has been re-signed, allowing him to continue his play from the 2023 campaign. Simmons, 25, appeared in all 17 games last season while starting four. He logged a defensive snap share of just 33%, but he chipped in on special teams as well.

Last year injected more instability into Simmons’ situation. Already a hybrid player whose role fluctuated in Arizona, the Cardinals shuttled him from linebacker to safety on a full-time basis. Simmons is believed to have requested the move, but the Cardinals’ new regime instead accepted a low-end return — a seventh-round pick — to ship him to the Giants.

This came after the Cardinals, joining the Ravens (Patrick Queen), Seahawks (Jordyn Brooks) and Chargers (Kenneth Murray), declined the fifth-year option for their 2020 first-round ILB pick. All four of the 2020 draft’s first-round linebackers have since relocated. New York then returned the Clemson alum to a linebacking role but did not install him as a starter.

Simmons, 25, had started 30 games for the Cardinals from 2021-22, including all 17 during the ’21 season. In New York, he played behind Micah McFadden and free agency addition Bobby Okereke. McFadden logged nearly 300 more defensive snaps than Simmons last season, though Pro Football Focus still viewed the trade pickup as a top-35 player at the position. Simmons did return an interception for a 54-yard touchdown — in a midseason win over the Commanders — and start the final three games, but he only saw a full-time workload in one game as a Giant. This brought a change from his high-usage Cardinals past.

After adding Okereke on a $10MM-per-year deal in 2023, the Giants have not made any outside moves at the position this offseason. McFadden remains under contract, but the Giants do have a new defensive coordinator — in Shane Bowen — calling the shots. It will be interesting to see if the new DC is intrigued by the prospect of a former top-10 pick being in the mix and offers an opportunity to vie for a starting role alongside Okereke.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

UNC QB Drake Maye Giants’ New Focus?

April 7th, 2024 at 10:23pm CST by Ely Allen

There have been rumors aplenty in the last few weeks claiming that the Giants are extremely interested in drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so much so that they would be interested in trading up from the No. 6 overall pick. The rumors have had New York going in a lot of different directions with their trade up, and Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports has them going in another new direction with a focus on North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

Only three days ago, Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post projected a trade up for the Giants that saw them taking LSU passer Jayden Daniels. He also claimed to be hearing that New York was highest on Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but his projection had the national championship winner being selected one pick before by the Commanders. As a result, he predicted that the Giants would settle for the Heisman winner.

Earlier today, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan also connected Daniels to New York, this time claiming that he was one of the team’s favorites to look out for. According to Raanan, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll both believe the LSU passer would be “an ideal fit in their offense.” He also noted McCarthy as a name to watch, especially if he’s still available by the sixth pick, rendering a trade up unnecessary.

Vacchiano posed a different view just two days ago. Vacchiano, like the others, points out that the Giants could certainly be tempted to trade up for a quarterback, but he specifies that it would need to be the right quarterback. He claims that Maye is the man who fits the bill. Vacchiano posits that if the Bears and Commanders select USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Daniels or McCarthy with their respective picks, the Giants would jump on the opportunity to trade up for Maye.

Maye has long been viewed as the top draft option following the near-certain No. 1 overall pick, Williams. Daniels was the first to rise quickly up draft boards and challenge Maye for that No. 2 spot, followed shortly by McCarthy. Now most mocks have all four of the picks to the open the draft being used on quarterbacks.

The biggest issue with most of these scenarios is that they assume the Patriots will be willing to move back. Like the Bears, Commanders, and Giants, while New England is home to multiple potential starters at the quarterback position, many have labeled passer as a position of need for the Patriots. Veteran Jacoby Brissett, last year’s backup Bailey Zappe, and former Canadian Football League star Nathan Rourke all bring something to the table, but there are many in the league who still believe the team will use their top draft pick to bring in a new competitor to start under center.

Regardless, with the big day still two and a half weeks out, everything is subject to change. Within the course of three days, we’ve seen different sources claim that McCarthy, Maye, and Daniels were all the preferred options for the Giants to pursue in a trade up at different times. Though the muddy waters often tend to clear up the closer we get to the draft, this year may be the exception as the waters seem muddy as ever.

NFC Contract Details: Packers, Moore, Maddox, Burns

April 7th, 2024 at 8:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on recent new contracts around the NFC:

  • Eric Wilson, LB (Packers): One year, $1.38MM. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Wilson’s new contract with Green Bay includes a base salary of $1.21MM and a signing bonus of $167.5K.
  • Kristian Welch, LB (Packers): One year, $1.21MM. Demovsky also tells us that Welch’s re-signed deal will have a base salary of $1.13MM and a signing bonus worth $20K. Welch can earn an additional $20K with a workout bonus as well as a per game active roster bonus of $2,647 for a potential season total of $45K.
  • Chris Moore, WR (Cardinals): One year, $2MM. Moore’s contract with the Cardinals will have a guaranteed amount of $750K comprised of $250K of his 2024 base salary (worth a total of $1.28MM) and a $500K signing bonus, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports. Moore will add another $50K with a workout bonus and an additional $10K per game that he’s on the active roster for a potential season total of $170K in per game active roster bonuses.
  • Avonte Maddox, CB (Eagles): One year, $1.5MM. Maddox’s new deal will have a guaranteed value of $875K consisting of $500K of his base salary (worth $1.13MM in total) and a $375K signing bonus.
  • Brian Burns, OLB (Giants): Five years, $141MM. We noted recently that Burns’ deal was not worth the reported $150MM amount and was actually for $141MM. Thanks to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, we now know that the $9MM difference comes from incentives wherein he can earn an additional $1.8MM for each year that he either reaches 12.5 sacks, makes a Pro Bowl, or earns first-team All-Pro honors. He’s reached that sack total once in 2022 and made two Pro Bowls in 2021 and 2022, but because he didn’t reach any of those achievements last year, the potential $1.8MM won’t count against New York’s cap space in 2024.
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