Tag: Jon Feliciano

49ers’ Jon Feliciano wants revenge game vs. Giants in Week 1

San Francisco 49ers center Jon Feliciano wants to open the 2023 regular season against his former team, the New York Giants.

The 2023 regular season schedule will be officially announced on Thursday night on NFL Network, and the anticipation is already building.

Most eyes are set on opening week and what could be intriguing matchups to kick off the new NFL season. That extends from the fans to the players themselves.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

One player who has already made his desires known is San Francisco 49ers center Jon Feliciano. He favors a Week 1 revenge game against his former mates, the New York Giants.

Feliciano spent last season as the Giants’ starting center but was not re-signed this offseason. The Giants instead signed J.C. Hassenauer before selecting John Michael Schmitz in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Reminded that facing the Giants means going one-on-one with All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, Feliciano said he looks forward to it.

“I look forward to the challenge,” Feliciano tweeted.

Most players look forward to facing their former teams and Feliciano is no exception. He may feel slighted after not being re-signed by general manager Joe Schoen, who had brought him over from the Buffalo Bills, but that’s just business in the NFL.

When the Giants and 49ers do square off, the game will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

[lawrence-related id=709930,709933,709929]

[stnvideo key=”mRytoh2XpK-2730130-7491″ type=”float”]

Brandon Beane knew Giants would pluck good players from Bills roster

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane fully expected New York Giants GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll to poach some of their talent last year.

Last offseason, following the New York Giants’ hiring of Joe Schoen as their next general manager, the team hired Brian Daboll to be their next head coach.

While their names may not have been familiar to many Giants fans, there was a sense of confidence in the new general manager-head coach combo given their time together building the Buffalo Bills into a contender.

The two have not forgotten their roots and have even brought over some talent from their time in Buffalo. That did not come as a surprise to Bills general manager Brandon Beane.

“Whenever we cut down our practice squad, we know we can lose guys, but particularly with Joe and Brian moving to New York, they knew our players and so you know it’s going to be harder to get guys through the cracks,” Beane told NJ Advance Media at the NFL owners’ meetings. “So I was thinking about it when we made the moves, but if it wasn’t the two guys they got, it would have been a couple of other guys that they would have done the same thing with.”

The Giants added former Bills offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and running back Matt Breida in free agency last year.

It didn’t end there as the Giants claimed defensive back Nick McCloud just days before the season began and wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins as a midseason pickup off waivers.

“He’s a pro and a hard worker,” Beane said of McCloud. “Nick knows what he’s good at and he knows the areas where he has to improve and sometimes players fail because they don’t recognize where they struggle. Nick is also instinctive and smart. He knows pre-snap what’s coming and it helps him get into the right position.”

Losing Hodgins also came as no surprise.

“We had thought for a couple of years that we could lose Isaiah,” Beane said. “We knew he could play.”

McCloud and Hodgins were great finds for Schoen. McCloud played over 50 percent of both the defensive and special teams snaps last season.

Hodgins turned into one of Daniel Jones’ favorite receivers down the stretch and had a big performance in the wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.

[lawrence-related id=708186,708181,708184]

[mm-video type=video id=01gwma340vj22kedzxr6 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gwma340vj22kedzxr6/01gwma340vj22kedzxr6-d86837cfd3b5bb5614cd1dd2bb6f7fc6.jpg]

Former Bills OL Jon Feliciano now onto 49ers

Former #Bills OL Jon Feliciano now onto #49ers:

Former Bills starting offensive lineman Jon Feliciano is on to another club, post-Buffalo tenure.

According to Niners Wire, Feliciano has signed a one-year deal return to the west coast with the San Francisco 49ers.

Feliciano, 31, played three season in Buffalo and became a fan favorite with the Bills. In 2022, he followed former members of the Buffalo front office, namely head coach Brian Daboll, to the New York Giants.

That came after the Bills released him.

That stint only lasted one season, but in that time in New York, Feliciano’s relationship with the Bills soured slightly.

During his final year in Buffalo, Feliciano dealt with multiple injuries. Ike Boettger filled in for Feliciano and never gave up that starting spot once Feliciano returned from injury.

Then once Boettger went down, Buffalo turned things over to Ryan Bates. Both Boettger and Bates still remain with the Bills and even so, Feliciano made comments that he felt like he could have helped the Bills out during their 2021 postseason run.

Those thoughts are understandable. Many athletes have that competitive fire. Where Feliciano struck a nerve with the fan base was following Buffalo’s loss to the New York Jets in the regular season in 2022.

Bills Mafia likes to comment that Buffalo is the only “real New York team,” noting how the Jets and Giants both don’t play in New York State (the Bills also don’t play in Buffalo, for those curious). Feliciano posted via social media after that loss: “The Real NY,” which was a bit of a dig at Buffalo. It didn’t go over well with fans.

In time, Feliciano and his relationship with the Bills and fans will likely heal, if it already hasn’t. But Feliciano’s path to starting is much less clear.

He’s likely going to San Francisco to provide veteran depth at this point in his career. Pro Football Focus graded Feliciano only a 58.2 overall mark with the Giants.

[lawrence-related id=115069,115071,115066]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw1j59gmjw5gdj player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Giants lose Jon Feliciano to 49ers

New York Giants free agent center Jon Feliciano says he is signing with the San Francisco 49ers.

The New York Giants have reportedly lost another option at the center position as last year’s starter, Jon Feliciano, is telling reporters he is signing with the San Francisco 49ers.

Last week, Nick Gates signed a three-year deal with the Washington Commanders.

Ourlads.com currently has just Ben Bredeson listed center on their depth chart.

Let us state that Ourlads’ depth chart is not official, but in looking up and down the Giants’ roster, Bredeson is the most logical choice to pencil in at the position until the Giants can find a more suitable candidate. He was the Giants’ third-string center last year.

Feliciano started 15 games last season and Gates the other two. There are several solid centers coming out in this year’s NFL draft and the Giants could be, or should be, targeting one of them.

[lawrence-related id=707757,707741,707735]

[mm-video type=video id=01gw0c4a0hsk5sxshhdp playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gw0c4a0hsk5sxshhdp/01gw0c4a0hsk5sxshhdp-50c757a8af09e372bf19cb432f32d8bf.jpg]

Report: 49ers to sign veteran OL Jon Feliciano

The #49ers may have found their replacement for Daniel Brunskill.

The 49ers are adding some veteran offensive line depth to their offseason roster. Newsday’s Kim Jones reported OL Jon Feliciano is signing with San Francisco on a one-year deal.

Feliciano was the starting center for the Giants all of last season – his first in New York. Prior to that he began his career with the Raiders when they made him a fourth-round selection in the 2015 draft. He played four years there and three in Buffalo before joining the Giants.

Last season was only Feliciano’s second where he played and started double-digit games. He was Buffalo’s full-time starting right guard in 2019, then started all nine games he played there in 2020, and started six of the nine games he played at left guard in 2021.

Versatility is a significant key for the 49ers as they build their offensive line, and it appears Feliciano will take over the Daniel Brunskill role of the do-everything reserve offensive lineman.

There’s a chance he battles for the starting center job, but Jake Brendel’s four-year contract from the 49ers this offseason indicates he has a good grip on that job. San Francisco doesn’t have any experienced depth at center though, so Feliciano being able to play multiple other spots while also backing up at C makes him a potentially valuable piece for the 49ers.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxacb60r3mr0ac player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

5 remaining Giants free agents who deserve to be re-signed or sign elsewhere

The New York Giants have 10 remaining unsigned free agents and these five deserve to be re-signed or given an opportunity elsewhere.

The first week of free agency has come and gone across the NFL, and the New York Giants have been quite busy.

In addition to re-signing several of their own in-house free agents, general manager Joe Schoen has also made a few splashes elsewhere. He’s added quality depth at positions of need and acquired tight end Darren Waller via trade.

But 10 Giants remain unsigned. They are as follows:

  • LB/S Landon Collins
  • DL Justin Ellis
  • OL Jon Feliciano
  • WR Richie James
  • LB/S Tony Jefferson
  • WR Marcus Johnson
  • CB Fabian Moreau
  • LB Jaylon Smith
  • DL Nick Williams
  • LB Oshane Ximines

There are some notable names in that group and five of them absolutely deserve to either be re-signed or signed elsewhere.

Let’s take a look at those players.

Jon Feliciano would ‘love to be back’ with Giants

Jon Feliciano would love to return to the New York Giants in 2023 and spend another season under “meatball” Brian Daboll.

New York Giants center Jon Feliciano could be headed for free agency in two weeks but, unlike last season at this time when the veteran was doubting his career path, the former Buffalo Bill anchor knows where he wants to be.

Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD explains:

He rediscovered his joy with Brian Daboll, Bobby Johnson and the New York Giants.

The 6-foot-4, 325-pounder known as “Mongo” did not only save his career — he learned to love football again. On the cusp of free agency, he’d love to stay with the Giants. He sees the makings of something special with Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. As the team’s starting center, he was (literally) the man in the middle of this rebirth. A collection of misfits and draft picks left for dead managed to go 9-7-1 and win a playoff game. NFL teams rarely ever transform from hellscape to contender on a coaching change alone. It’s not like the Giants handed out blank checks to free agents last spring.

Feliciano could be brought back on another one-year deal, and at 31, still has some football left in him.

“One hundred percent,” Feliciano says. “I would love to be back. They’re my guys. It’s easy being with them. Just the joy I get playing football and I want to succeed for them, too.”

Feliciano enjoys being around Daboll, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year (and deservedly so). He explained how Daboll, who offers mostly encouragement, can also act as a disciplinarian.

When Feliciano drew a foolish taunting penalty this season, he saw that side of Daboll.

“He knows when to bring you up and when to tear you down. He’s great at that balance. . . He gave me good ripping and you look back on it, I love when he gets fired up,” Feliciano says. “Obviously didn’t want the penalty, but when he rips people — and it’s not you — it’s pretty fun to watch. He’s just a little, small meatball getting angry. He gets all red in the face and then two seconds later he’ll be like, ‘That was a good one, right?'”

It’s just not Daboll that Feliciano wants to win for, it’s the assistants, such as offensive line coach Bobby Johnson as well.

“He’s a fiery guy,” Feliciano says of Johnson, “and I like to say I am too.”

There’s a lot more to this man they call ‘Mongo.’ He was the heart of a rejuvenated Giants offensive line last year — a player who helped show the Giants what it takes to win again. Many would love to see him back in Blue this year.

[lawrence-related id=706946,706951,706924]

[mm-video type=video id=01gtma4fggf6m6t4yyay playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtma4fggf6m6t4yyay/01gtma4fggf6m6t4yyay-e4e6f0c644c530712ee0aa3fcc5862d9.jpg]

Giants will begin negotiations with multiple in-house free agents this week

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen says the team will meet with several in-house free agents this week to discuss new contracts.

The New York Giants remain in the early stages of negotiation with both quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, who they are “cautiously optimistic” will be re-signed.

On Tuesday, general manager Joe Schoen also revealed that the Giants have reached out to nose tackle Dexter Lawrence about a possible contract extension.

But that won’t be all. The Giants have more than 20 impending free agents and as Schoen has said in the past, he’d like to keep many of those players in tow.

With that in mind, it should come as little surprise that Schoen plans to work on negotiating with several of those players this week. They include safety Julian Love, center Jon Feliciano and offensive lineman Nick Gates.

Schoen will also meet with the agents representing defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who could be in line for an extension or a possible restructure.

Leadership will heavily factor into Schoen’s decisions on several of these players. He doesn’t want to lose that going into the regime’s second season.

“It’s the leadership and the locker room and within their position group that you’ve really got to make sure that you don’t let a lot of leadership walk out of the building. And that’s going to be a concerted effort for some of these guys. Maybe they’re backups, starters, whatever it may be. But we want to definitely be able to retain some of our leadership,” Schoen said, via Giants.com.

Schoen is going to be a busy guy this week.

[lawrence-related id=706856,706852,706846]

[mm-video type=video id=01gtcv0zzh9e4x2jty1x playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtcv0zzh9e4x2jty1x/01gtcv0zzh9e4x2jty1x-64d1c1c2d06b12a003d946f1836b2ae3.jpg]

Ranking the Giants’ top 10 pending free agents by importance

The New York Giants have more than 20 pending unrestricted free agents, so we decided to rank the top 10 most important.

The New York Giants face a pivotal offseason with many difficult decisions to be made as they attempt to build on their 2022 success.

General manager Joe Schoen will have his hands full as he attempts to stretch the $44 million worth of available cap space to cover all of his roster needs.

Schoen will start by attempting to retain his own impending free agents. Here is a list of the Giants’ top 10 unrestricted free agents and what the team may do with them.

Note: Players are ranked from most important on down.

Sign or pass: What Giants should do with pending free agents

Giants Wire takes an early look at the New York Giants’ in-house free agents and breaks down who should be re-signed and who should go.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is entering his second offseason with the club and after a roaring start, he’s ready to turn the Giants into perennial winners.

It won’t be easy. Like last year, Schoen will be faced with several difficult decisions when it comes to retaining players. It appears to be a foregone conclusion that quarterback Daniel Jones will be back but at what price is the only question.

Schoen suggested the team will let the ’emotion’ of this season die down before making key decisions because it’s never a good idea to ‘shop hungry.’

That aside, here is a quick list of impending free agents the Giants will have to make decisions on.