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It seems like just yesterday that the New York Giants traded up to select DeAndre Baker with their third first-round pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Nobody could have imagined that Baker would no longer be on the Giants for what was supposed to be his sophomore season.
Baker, of course, fell into legal troubles this offseason which eventually led to his release from the Giants in September. On Monday, news broke that the armed robbery charges were dropped against the former Giants cornerback and the lawyer of the accusers was arrested.
While the legal troubles may now be resolved for Baker, the former Georgia Bulldog product could possibly still face potential league discipline under the personal conduct policy.
Once the news broke that the charges were dropped many fans wondered if Baker would be welcomed back to Big Blue or if the Giants would at least entertain a reunion with the former first round pick.
“If they could have kept me, they would have. It was a business decision and I truly understood it,” Baker told the New York Post. “I would have no problem going back there. Yeah, I’d love to go back to the Giants.”
That question was put to rest when in a hurry.
“No chance,” one team source told SNY. “We know that (drafting him) was a mistake.”
Giants head coach Joe Judge essentially etched that into stone during his Monday afternoon conference call.
“Look, I wish him the best of luck in the future. We’ve made the decision that we think is best for the program, and that’s really all I have to say about that,” Judge told reporters.
The loss of Baker did put the Giants in a bit of a bind as they likely expected to have the 2019 first-round pick for more than his rookie season, but that’s just not how the cookie crumbled.
Baker remains a free agent and will not be returning to East Rutherford — at least not with the Giants.
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