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Free agency is in full swing, which means that the New York Giants aren’t just looking for players to add, but which players to keep.
Some players don’t give them the choice, though, which is what makes free agency so exciting — you never know which players will end up on each team.
Former Giants offensive lineman Will Hernandez has decided that his time in New York is over. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.
Hernandez was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft (the 34th overall pick). Prior to entering the draft, Hernandez played in 49 games over his career at the University of Texas-El Paso. After the 2016 season, he was named second-team All-American, and after the 2017 season, he was named to the Conference USA first-team.
The Giants had high hopes for Hernandez, who showed real promise as a rookie, but that promise was not realized. 2021 was Hernandez’s worst season in New York, by far, so it’s no real surprise that the Giants didn’t highly pursue him when his contract was up.
Enter the Cardinals, who have decided to sign Hernandez to a one-year contract. He will reunite with one of his college coaches in Arizona, Sean Kugler, who currently serves as the Cardinals’ offensive line coach. He was the head coach at UTEP when Hernandez was a player.
Should the Cards sign Hernandez to a large deal, it may factor into the compensatory pick formula. But if not, he won’t. And, interestingly, the Giants just signed guard Max Garcia, a former Cardinal.
It’s not a swap, per se, but in an odd turn of events, Arizona and New York have “traded” players.
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