Tag: new york giants news

Chargers conclude interview with Brandon Brown for general manager opening

The Chargers concluded their first interview for the general manager vacancy.

The Chargers on Thursday confirmed they have interviewed Brandon Brown for their general manager position.

Brown, 35, finished his second season as the Giants assistant general manager. In his first season in the role, Brown helped GM Joe Schoen revamp their roster and helped lead New York back to the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Brown was previously with the Eagles for five seasons from 2017 to 2021. He first started as assistant director of pro scouting for two seasons. He was then promoted to director of pro scouting for two seasons. Brown finished his tenure as director of player personnel for one season.

Before his time with Philadelphia, Brown spent two seasons from 2015 to 2016 with the Colts as a scouting assistant before being promoted to advance scout.

Brown attended Fordham University, where he played defensive back while earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship and communications media management.

Chargers block Giants’ request to interview special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken

The Chargers don’t want to let go of one of their top assistant coaches.

The Giants are searching for a new special teams coordinator after firing Thomas McGaughey, and one of the coaches they were hoping to bring in for an interview was Ryan Ficken of the Chargers.

However, New York’s request was denied by Los Angeles, according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.

Despite Brandon Staley being fired, the Chargers don’t want one of the assistants he brought in to go to another team, and they hope they can get him to stay on staff with whoever the next head coach is.

Hired to oversee the Bolts’ special teams two years ago, Ficken engineered some of the best units in the NFL in that timeframe.

Before joining the Chargers, Ficken spent the first 15 years of his NFL career with the Vikings, serving as the team’s special teams coordinator in 2021 after assisting the group for the prior eight seasons.

4 takeaways from Giants QB Daniels Jones’ contract extension press conference

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract. Here are four takeaways from his presser announcing the deal.

The New York Giants inked former 2019 first-round quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract March 7.

The Giants and Jones were flirting with the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. Otherwise Jones would have been the Giants’ franchise tag player.

“I was in the building,” Jones said. “I think it was 3:53 or 3:54, something like that. It was right up next to the deadline.”

Jones compiled a 9-6-1 record for the Giants last season as part of their 9-7-1 campaign. The former Duke product led New York to its first playoff win since 2011 with a 31-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC wild-card.

Here are four takeaways from Jones’ presser.

Cardinals can officially pursue CB James Bradberry, released by Giants

The New York Giants were forced to release a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback due to financial complications. The Cardinals should pounce at this opportunity.

The news was expected, but it was made official Monday afternoon when the New York Giants released former Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry.

Bradberry, 29, was last selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and was released due to financial complications on the rebuilding New York Giants. He was due to earn $13.4 million dollars this season. The team held out hope throughout the draft that they could trade him, but ultimately had to cut him.

Cardinals’ owner Michael Bidwill mentioned in a recent segment on Flight Plan that the team will continue to remain aggressive in the coming months, citing the late addition of James Conner as an example.

It isn’t often a player of Bradberry’s caliber is available in May, particularly without having to give up draft capital in a trade. The former second-round pick has the second-most passes defended since 2019,

He had a career-high four interceptions last season. His production would be welcome on a Cardinals defense that has question marks at the position. General manager Steve Keim cited cornerback as a position of need in the NFL Draft, one that they did not address until the seventh round.

Having a Pro Bowl corner on the perimeter would allow Vance Joseph to comfortably move Byron Murphy inside and outside based on matchups, something he excels at. With two younger plays outside in Marco Wilson and Jeff Gladney, adding an established veteran would help their development as well.

The Cardinals did not spend a lot of money in free agency. Perhaps the time is now to add a Pro Bowl-caliber player on defense.

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Giants part ways with former Georgia first round draft pick

The New York Giants announced today that they have released former first-round draft pick DeAndre Baker. 

The New York Giants announced today that they have released former first-round draft pick DeAndre Baker.

Baker, 23, was charged with four counts of armed robbery last month after allegedly committing the robbery at a house party in Miramar, Florida last May.

Seattle defensive back Quinton Dunbar also surrendered to police in May but was not charged due to lack of evidence. Both Baker and Dunbar were placed on the commissioner’s exempt list but Dunbar was removed from the list in August.

The Giants selected the former Georgia Bulldog all-American with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He played in 16 games last season, starting the final 15. Baker had a dissapointing rookie season and he finished the season with 61 tackles and 8 pass breakups. Baker was expected to start at cornerback for New York this season. New Yourk paid dearly for Baker, trading the 37th, 132nd and 142nd overall selections in the 2019 draft to the Seattle Seahawks in order to draft the cornerback.

Former UGA LT Andrew Thomas signs life-changing contract

Former Georgia Bulldog offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has officially inked his rookie contract with the New York Giants.

Former Georgia Bulldog offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has officially inked his rookie contract with the New York Giants.

Thomas played three seasons at the University of Georgia before declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft. At UGA, he earned immediate playing time against elite competition, including a start in the 2018 National Championship Game.

The New York Giants selected Thomas with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Thomas was the NFL Draft’s highest offensive lineman selected. He additionally set the record as the earliest drafted offensive lineman to play at the University of Georgia (record was previously held by Royce Smith, an eighth overall selection in 1972).

Now, Thomas’s NFL dreams are becoming a reality. He’s almost ready for the 2020 NFL season. Oh and don’t forget that he’s signed a $32.35 million contract that includes a $21.1 million signing bonus according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The contract is fully guaranteed and allows Thomas to begin to participate in training camp. Like a typical rookie first round deal, it allows for the New York Giants to have a team option following the fourth season of the agreement.

Here’s what it looked like the moment Andrew Thomas inked his rookie contract:

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Georgia greats Andrew Thomas, Tae Crowder receive NY Giants jersey numbers

Georgia football greats Andrew Thomas and Tae Crowder have received their jersey numbers for the New York Giants.

Former Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has received his jersey number that he will wear with the New York Giants.

Taken 4th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Thomas will wear #78 in New York, the Giants announced. Thomas wore #71 in Athens.

Tae Crowder, the former Georgia linebacker who was taken with the very last pick of the draft, will wear #37. Crowder wore #30 at Georgia.

The Giants added that rookie numbers are subject to change.

Former New York Giant Carl Banks defends Deandre Baker after rocky NFL start

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks said former Georgia football corner Deandre Baker is capable after mediocre rookie year.

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks, now a Giants radio commentator and analyst, defended former Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker recently.

Banks said on Twitter that the Giants 2019 first-round pick is capable, but he has to show willingness to learn coming off a rough rookie year.

The former Georgia corner was a dominant defensive presence for the Bulldogs in his time in Athens. In 2018 at Georgia, Baker was a All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner. (given to the country’s top defensive back)

Baker’s performance at UGA hasn’t exactly translated to the NFL yet. In his first year, Baker had seven touchdowns scored against him where he was the closest defender on the field. A big contrast to his four years at Georgia where he only allowed one touchdown. However, after a rocky start to his rookie season, Baker picked it up and began playing like we knew he could.

Via the New York Post:

“To whom much is given much is expected,” Banks said. “If he wasn’t held accountable and he didn’t have a structure by which he should have been held accountable from play to play, series to series, then you can expect that.’’

With the Giants hire of new head coach Joe Judge from the Patriots, Baker should have plenty of opportunities to improve and prove himself as a first-round pick moving forward.

 

Report: Giants CB Deandre Baker fell asleep during meetings as a rookie

Former Georgia football CB Deandre Baker reportedly fell asleep multiple times during meetings as a rookie with the NY Giants.

The New York Giants traded back in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to select Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker with the 30th overall pick.

Coming out Athens, Baker was viewed as one of the best lockdown defensive backs in the draft-class after having a sensational 2018 season in which he won the Jim Thorpe Award, awarded to college football’s top defensive back.

But Baker struggled to adjust to the NFL game during his rookie season, with opposing quarterbacks often picking on the Miami native.

For the first half of the NFL season, it was not looking good for Baker or the Giants. He was getting beat regularly, giving up a ton of room to receivers to make easy catches and was being targeted by opposing quarterbacks.

Apparently, it was not only on the field where Baker struggled.

According to a report from ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, it was “not uncommon” for Baker to fall asleep during Giants’ team or position group meetings.

Baker’s rookie season was rocky, to say the least. At one point, he got called out in a team meeting, and his seven touchdowns allowed as the nearest defender was tied for fourth in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. There are questions about Baker’s desire to be great. Sleeping in meetings was not uncommon.

It should be noted, however, that Baker actually turned it on in the later part of the season for the Giants.

We touched on that last December here. 

If put in a situation to succeed and coached properly, Baker has all the tools to be on the league’s elite cornerbacks.

Once considered a bust, Giants CB Deandre Baker turning it on

Former Georgia football CB Deandre Baker was once seen as a bust, but is now turning it on for the New York Giants.

Deandre Baker is one of the best defensive backs in the history of Georgia football. He simply locked down every wide receiver that he ever faced off against in college.

The New York Giants used a first round pick on Baker, hoping his lockdown skills would translate to the NFL.

For the first half of the NFL season, it was not looking good for Baker or the Giants. He was getting beat regularly, giving up a ton of room to receivers to make easy catches and was being targeted by opposing quarterbacks.

But that was then.

Now, Baker has been playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.

Good for Baker, a former Jim Thorpe Award winner who is now playing like we knew he could.

Being a first round draft pick yields a lot of pressure, and one guy who knows a lot about that pressure is Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

Barkley talked with the New York Post about Baker and his rookie season.

“When you come in as a first-rounder, everyone sets expectations for you and there are expectations that you set for yourself and the kind of player you want to be,’’ Barkley told The Post on Friday. “Bake comes in every single day and works to get better and better. Obviously, he probably didn’t start the season how he would like to start his career. But these last couple weeks, he’s been playing lights out. He was a big reason why we got our first win in a while last week.’’