Tag: Brandon Brown

Brandon Brown provides insight into Giants’ free agency, draft approach

New York Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown discusses the team’s approach to both free agency and the 2023 NFL draft.

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Brandon Brown came to the New York Giants last year in the role of assistant to newly hired general manager Joe Schoen. He arrived after five years in Philadelphia where he worked under perhaps the best GM in the business, Howie Roseman.

The 35-year-old Brown helped Schoen revamp a vapid roster and helped lead the Giants back to the postseason for the first time in six years.

Needless to say, he’s just getting started. With a year under his belt now, Brown is taking on a bigger role both behind the scenes and in public. This past week at the Giants’ mandatory minicamp, Brown spoke to the media with confidence and clarity about his philosophy.

“The biggest thing when you look at the 90-man roster from last year to this year is improving the depth. We don’t want anybody to be comfortable,” he stated.

“Every day we wanted to make sure, hey, everyone has to earn their check. I think at whatever level you are on the roster; the undrafted guys are going to be given an equal opportunity. You see how many rookies that we played last year. It’s merit-based. Best man wins out.”

Brown explained that the initial roster upheaval should calm down over time if you do it right.

“I think we improved the depth, and I think as you churn the roster, especially that bottom third, if you do a better job in Year 1, Year 2, you’re not going to have that much attrition where you’re going to need those heavier numbers,” he said.

And Brown has been hard at work getting those ‘best men.’ In his second draft with the club, he looked for not just talent, but football acumen and — yes — speed.

The Giants finished 9-7-1 last season but were not without holes. Brown said the front office knew they had to improve the run defense and sought out players in free agency that could satisfy that need.

“I think we looked at what our pain points were,” he said. “We wanted to get better against the run, and you’ve seen what we did in terms of adding Nacho (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) and (defensive lineman) A’Shawn (Robinson) and getting (linebacker) Bobby O(kereke) in free agency, adding (safety) Bobby McCain as a vet in the secondary. Those things are not being satisfied. It’s being reflective, looking in the mirror, being honest with each other and saying, ‘Hey, how do we give the coaches the best opportunity to put the best product in the field?'”

The Giants’ first-round draft pick this year was Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, who impressed the club with the way he dealt with adversity and failure.

“If you go back to September, Deonte wasn’t somebody that was on the radar,” said Brown. “We had an area scout who watched him early and liked him. Actually, Joe got a chance to go see him live in person. Tim (McDonnell), Dennis (Hickey), they both watched him. Then I go live and go see him play against Ohio State. I see him get beat by (Ohio State wide receiver) Marvin Harrison Jr. the first play of the game and then line right back up and play relentless with effort the rest of the game. Then he ends the game and blocks a kick. I just think his competitiveness is something that you covet in our system, especially playing a lot of man.”

Giant fans should enjoy Brown while he’s still here. He will obviously be in line for bigger things in the league. Many would not be surprised if he becomes a general manager soon — very soon.

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Giants’ Brandon Brown: ‘We love’ Saquon Barkley

New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown opened up about Saquon Barkley a bit on Tuesday: “We love Saquon.”

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New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown made a rare appearance in front of the media at the team’s initial mandatory minicamp workout on Tuesday.

The hot topic? You guessed it — the Saquon Barkley contract situation.

Brown did not offer any details, updates or progress on Barkley’s status, only sizing that business is business and it hasn’t changed the way he or the team feels about Saquon the person.

“Obviously, we’ve been going around with Saquon in communication since about nine months now, but that’s above my paygrade in terms of divulging some of the stuff that we’re going to keep in house. But we love Saquon. He knows how I feel about him, he knows how we feel about him collectively, but we’re going to handle the business inside with him. I’m excited whenever he’s back, but I know he’s taking care of his business right now,” Brown said.

“I think when you’re dealing with someone who is extremely mature like Saquon, you can separate the personal and the professional. I think that’s when you have honest and open conversations. You take the feelings out of it. You’re able to establish common ground. It doesn’t mean you’re going to agree, but that’s what I appreciate about him. He can listen, and he can digest the information we’re giving him, and he can tell us his feelings as well.”

Barkley is currently sitting out of minicamp as he is not under contract. He has refused to sign his franchise tender offer of one year, $10.1 million in hopes of landing a more lucrative long-term deal.

The Giants had offered Barkley a deal last fall that would have paid him approximately $14 million per annum (with incentives) but Barkley and his representatives rejected the offer.

The two sides have not been able to come to an agreement as Barkley is holding steady and the Giants are following the market, which for running backs has taken a dive.

It’s unlikely that a deal will be struck this week in order to get the two-time Pro Bowler on the field, which means the soonest we’ll see him is when the team opens training camp in late July. But under what conditions — if any — will be playing?

The deadline for the Giants to sign Barkley a multi-year contract extension is July 17. After that date, he can only be signed to a one-year deal that cannot be extended until after the Giants’ final regular season game.

If he accepts the franchise tag conditions or a one-year deal, we could be sitting here next year at this time going through this all over again.

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Giants minicamp: Notes, videos and highlights from Day 1

News, notes, highlights and a few videos from Day 1 of the New York Giants’ 2023 mandatory minicamp.

After canceling their final two practices of organized team activities (OTAs) due to poor air quality, the New York Giants were back at it on Tuesday. This time for their mandatory two-day minicamp.

Running back Saquon Barkley, who has not yet signed his franchise tender, is not permitted to take part in team-related activities and was not in attendance per NFL rules. He will not be fined for his absence.

On the schedule were press conferences with the team’s defensive assistants, head coach Brian Daboll and assistant general manager Brandon Brown. Select players also spoke with members of the media following a two-hour practice.

Here’s a look at some notes, highlights and videos from Day 1.

Ohio State offers Florida 2025 defensive tackle

The Buckeyes are busy in Florida again #GoBucks

It’s safe to say that [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] has recruited the state of Florida extremely well.

Multiple current and former Buckeyes players call the Sunshine State their home. The Ohio State coaching staff is now going after another Florida prospect, 2025 defensive tackle [autotag]Brandon Brown[/autotag], who was offered a scholarship on Tuesday afternoon.

The 6-foot, 2-inch and 275 pound player is not yet ranked but will be soon after looking at his reported offer list. Schools like Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame, USC and Oklahoma have already pulled the trigger and offered.

The competition is going to be fierce for Brown’s signature, but Ohio State has made it clear they want the big defensive tackle to head North and play in Columbus.

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2025 Gators legacy DL recruit stoked over Florida football offer

This in-state defensive lineman is excited about his Florida football offer.

Billy Napier and his staff have been handing out scholarship offers now that Florida football’s recruiting efforts have shifted gears from the 2023 cycle to the future. While the NCAA’s dead period is currently in effect that has not slowed down the Gators on the recruiting trail.

One of the student-athletes who received an offer from UF on Tuesday was 2025 in-state defensive lineman [autotag]Brandon Brown[/autotag] out of Melbourne (Florida) Eau Gallie, who is a legacy at the University of Florida. Subsequently, the 6-foot-2-inch, 275-pound trench warrior was elated by the Orange and Blue’s gesture.

“The UF offer is huge. I have relatives that played for them and I grew up watching Gators football,” Brown told Gators Online’s Corey Bender. “I love that they are turning the program around and I think coach Napier has developed relationships to be successful there.”

Brown has connections with Florida through his uncle Joe Cohen, who is a former Gators defensive lineman, as well as his cousin [autotag]Marcus Maye[/autotag], who now plays safety in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints.

He noted a desire to make it to campus in March for his first face-to-face meeting with Napier and Co. but has not locked in a date as of yet. The head coach along with assistant coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] have been working hard to recruit him on his home turf in the meantime.

“Coach Napier and coach Peagler came by a couple of weeks ago and I know they really liked my film,” Brown said. “My coach had been telling me they will eventually get to it as a staff and hopefully they like it; obviously they did. I’ve talked to them a few times through my coach.”

Neither 247Sports nor On3 have any data on the high school sophomore.

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Sooners building foundation for future with flurry of offers for 2025 and 2026

Oklahoma gets a jump on its recruiting future, extending offers to a number of 2025 and 2026 prospects.

While the 2024 class is next up for the calendar year, recruiting future classes starts with years of relationships. Those relationships take time to build and don’t always develop overnight. It’s imperative to lay the foundation early on, which is why it should come as no surprise that the Sooners sent a  flurry of offers to 2025 and 2026 prospects in recent weeks.

Recruiting services have hardly evaluated them enough to rank them all just yet. These players have already received Power Five offers and look to be premier players who will eventually be significant prospects come their senior year.

We’ve taken the liberty to take a brief look at these 2025 and 2026 offers and offer a bit of insight about each.

Giants’ Brandon Brown attending NFL’s front office accelerator program

New York Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown will attend the NFL’s front office accelerator and diversity program on Tuesday and Wednesday.

New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown will be the franchise’s candidate at this week’s Front Office Accelerator Diversity Initiative taking place in Dallas on December 13-14.

In an “effort to continue to increase executive diversity,” each NFL team is sending a candidate to the conference “as part of the NFL’s ongoing commitment to promote greater diversity across the NFL.”

The Front Office Accelerator will provide rising people of color and women front office prospects with the opportunity to strengthen relationships with club ownership and executives. Additionally, the League has curated content sessions with football operations experts and business and academic leaders to further drive participants’ success in future front-office opportunities.

“Club owners and executives are focused on building on the successful momentum of our Coach and Front Office Accelerator Program by continuing to engage with and develop this group of talented men and women,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“The goal of our Accelerator Program is to foster relationships between owners and potential candidates for front office positions,” said Steelers President Art Rooney, II, the chairman of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.  “Both the clubs and the Accelerator participants understand the importance of the exposure, professional development and networking opportunities of the Accelerator.”

The conference will be led by management counsel director Kevin Boothe, a former Giants offensive lineman who was a member of two Super Bowl championship teams. Boothe is a 2005 graduate of Cornell University who earned an MBA from George Washington University in 2013.

Brandon Brown, 33, is in his first season as general manager Joe Schoen’s assistant after coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office this past offseason.

Brown interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings GM position before taking the assistant role in New York. He is expected to draw further interest this coming offseason.

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Giants national scout Mike Derice named a future GM to watch

The New York Giants currently employ several future general manager candidates, including national scout Mike Derice.

The Athletic recently surveyed 26 certified agents regarding numerous league-wide issues. Questions included which general manager/front office were the best talent evaluators, which front office personnel were the least trustworthy and who are viewed as rising stars and potential GMs of the future.

Interestingly, the New York Giants came up quite a bit. For instance, current general manager Joe Schoen received a vote as one of the NFL’s best talent evaluators. On the opposite end of that spectrum, retired Giants general manager Dave Gettleman received a vote as the least trustworthy.

But perhaps the most significant takeaway is that Giants national scout, Mike Derice, received a vote as a future GM to watch. Coincidentally, Schoen received two votes in that same category a year ago.

Schoen and the Giants hired Derice away from the Indianapolis Colts back in May.

Derice, who grew up in Brooklyn, spent the past 10 years with the Colts organization. During that time, he briefly worked alongside current Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown (2015-2016).

Some of the quality hidden gems uncovered by Derice include Isaiah Rodgers, Rock Ya-Sin, and Zaire Franklin.

Although Brown did not receive a vote, he is also widely considered a future GM candidate.

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Brandon Brown providing ‘football solutions’ for Giants

New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown is a “football solutions” guy and a strict one at that.

The New York Giants hired Brandon Brown as their assistant general manager to Joe Schoen this offseason.

Brown’s hiring was part of a house cleaning in East Rutherford as the Giants try to wipe away their culture of losing.

Brown, 33, was recently with the Giants’ rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. There he was the team’s director of player personnel in 2021 and oversaw the pro scouting department. Now with Big Blue, Brown likes to say he provides “football solutions.”

“The biggest word I use is ‘football solutions’ where it’s overseeing pro personnel department, the college scouting department and also just being the checks and balances with Joe (Schoen) on the football operations side,” Brown told reporters on Friday. “So, for me it’s just creating synergy through all of our supporting departments and our primary scouting departments.”

In this expanded role for the 33-year-old, he will be keeping some of his same duties as he continues to help in the scouting department while also helping to for continuity between the new members of the organization. In terms of his scouting duties, Brown described what he looks for in prospects.

“Biggest thing first is guys are smart, tough, dependable. When I say smart, guys are instinctive. Guys, regardless of their physical traits, they’re assignment sound. They’re not having busts,” Brown noted. “When I say tough, guys that are finishing off plays; guys that are competing on special teams. When you talk about dependable, guys are available to you, one. Guys that have a known track record of not missing time. Guys — whether it’s offense, defense, special teams — they answer the bell on all three phases or all two phases, whatever they’re asked to play. So, that’s the ground layer.”

If you can’t do those things, you shouldn’t be on the field in Brown’s mind.

“Listen, you can have all the physical tools you want, but if you don’t know your assignment, you can’t get on the field. If you don’t know your assignment, you can’t be trusted. I think we talk about being smart, knowing your assignments, also being able to react quickly, pick up things quickly. If you’re not trustworthy, you can’t play,” he said.

Big Blue has been missing some smart, tough and dependable football players over the last few seasons. Hopefully for New York, Brown can help to change the culture by building up the guys that are here and bringing in some new players that fit this mold.

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Giants’ Brandon Brown named one of NFL’s rising executives

New York Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown has been named one of the NFL’s top 40 executives under 40 years old.

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The Athletic released their annual list of the “NFL 40 under 40” on Monday, which focuses on ascending league executives, agents and coaches.

Sitting near the top of the list was New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown, who is just 33 years old.

Brown played college football at Fordham, but before pursuing a job in scouting or other areas of pro football, he decided to go to law school.

“I knew I never wanted to be in a courtroom or anything of that nature on the job working in law, but I wanted the soft skills that came with it: the public speaking, the critical thinking, high-level analysis, all the things that are applicable in the day-to-day job of being an NFL executive,” Brown told The Athletic this spring.

He earned his JD at Barry University in 2013 and landed his first job in the NFL as a scout for the Colts in 2015. He went on to spend five years with the Eagles before new Giants general manager Joe Schoen hired Brown to be his assistant general manager earlier this year.

In his new role, Brown is involved in all aspects of the Giants’ personnel department, from pro personnel to draft preparation to contracts and cap management.

Brown was hired by general manager Joe Schoen earlier this year to replace Kevin Abrams, who was moved into the role of senior vice president of football operations and strategy.

While no other Giants executive, scout or coach made the list, retired Big Blue offensive lineman Kevin Boothe, who now works with the league office, did.

Boothe played nine seasons in the NFL, two with the Raiders and seven with the Giants, where he was part of two Super Bowl championship teams.

He joined the league office in 2016 and worked in sponsorships, football operations and football development before moving into his current role earlier this year. Boothe primarily works with football operations and player personnel departments to make sure teams are in compliance with all aspects of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement and are operating within the league’s bylaws.

Boothe was one of three league office employees to participate in this year’s NFL Accelerator program.

The 38-year-old Boothe was a sixth-round pick of the Raiders in the 2006 NFL draft. He spent seven years with the Giants from 2007-2013 and remains beloved around the organization.

Both Brown and Boothe have extremely bright futures with the former likely to generate significant GM interest as early as 2023.

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