The New York Giants will miss tight end Rhett Ellison not just on the field, but off it as well. Ellison, who retired on Monday, was a team-first player who was always willing to sacrifice for his teammates.
Ellison also served as mentor to the younger players in the tight end room such as Evan Engram, the Giants’ future at the position.
“He’s definitely the best teammate I ever had,” Engram said in a team release. “Rhett not only helped me with so many things on the field, but helped me off the field, too. I’m going to miss him. He’s definitely going to be a friend of mine for life.”
Ellison was one of the more studious veterans and made a point of knowing the playbook front to back. He was the go-to guy for many of the young players still learning the pro game.
“He’s like a walking teach tape,” said Engram. “You can pull up any play that he’s on and that’s exactly how the play is supposed to be done whether it’s a route, whether it’s a certain blocking technique we have to execute. He’s a really good professional, he’s a really good technician. He’s a perfect example to learn from.”
The 31-year-old Ellison played for the Giants for three seasons (2017-19) coming over from the Minnesota Vikings where he played for five years after being selected in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of USC.
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