New York Giants

Giants Release Veteran Cornerback James Bradberry

New York will save over $10 million in cap space

Giants release veteran cornerback James Bradberry originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The New York Giants are moving on from one of their best defensive players.

The team announced on Monday that it has released cornerback James Bradberry. New York reportedly had been shopping Bradberry but was unable to find a trade partner.

By releasing Bradberry, the Giants created $10.1 million in cap savings to go along with $11.7 million in dead money.

Bradberry signed with the Giants during the 2020 offseason after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and was set to enter the final season of a three-year, $45 million deal in 2022.

The release of a Pro Bowl cornerback is just another move on a long list of major moments for the Giants this offseason. 

The Giants fired head coach Joe Judge just one day after GM Dave Gettleman announced his retirement in January. The team brought in former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to be its new head coach and Joe Schoen to be its new general manager.

On the player side, the team decided ahead of the draft that it would not pick up the fifth-year option for starting quarterback Daniel Jones. New York then had two of the top seven selections in the first round of the draft and took edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 5 and offensive lineman Evan Neal at No. 7.

The Giants’ draft class came at a cost, though. The team had minimal cap space and nine new players to sign, leading to Bradberry’s exit despite his contributions to New York’s defense.

It wasn’t until the Giants’ fifth pick that they selected a cornerback, taking LSU’s Cor’Dale Flott at No. 81 overall. As it stands the Giants' cornerback group features Flott, Adoree’ Jackson, Rodarius Williams, Darnay Holmes, Aaron Robinson and Jarren Williams.

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