Tag: New York Giants

Giants will visit Panthers in Germany during 2024 season

The New York Giants will visit the Carolina Panthers in Germany during the 2024 regular season.

The New York Giants will travel to Munich during Week 10 of the 2024 regular season where they’ll take on the Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena.

League officials made the announcement on Wednesday. The game will be held on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

The Giants-Panthers pairing makes sense not only because Carolina was previously tabbed to play in Munich but also because New York was recently awarded Global Markets Program rights for Germany.

The Giants have appeared in three games in Europe since the NFL began playing games overseas in 2007, including the first game ever in England, a 13-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium.

They defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 17-10, in 2016 at Twickenham Stadium and knocked off the Green Bay Packers, 27-22, in 2022 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Giants sign Andru Phillips to rookie contract

The New York Giants have signed third-round cornerback Andru Phillips to his rookie deal.

The New York Giants continued getting their 2024 NFL draft class under contract this week, signing third-round cornerback Andru Phillips to his rookie deal.

Phillips joins wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy as those who have signed.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Phillips is expected to come in and play nickel corner — his preference — while Cor’Dale Flott shifts to the outside.

“I can play both, but preferably the nickel position,” he told reporters during rookie minicamp. “When I went to Kentucky, I always wanted to play nickel the whole time. I didn’t really get an opportunity until my junior year.

“Once I got the opportunity I kind of like — I embodied it. I felt like it’s who I was. That’s what I did best, so I went all in on it. It carried over here, so I’m out here playing nickel now.”

Art Stapleton of USA TODAY reports that Phillips’ rookie contract is for four years and worth $5.995 million.

With Phillips now under contract, the only remaining members of the rookie class without a deal are safety Tyler Nubin, tight end Theo Johnson, and linebacker Darius Muasau.

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Bobby Okereke named Giants’ most underrated player

Pro Football Focus has named linebacker Bobby Okereke the New York Giants’ most underrated player.

The New York Giants finished 6-11 in 2023 and, in reviewing the season, it’s difficult to find many bright spots.

One highlight was the play of inside linebacker Bobby Okereke, a free agent addition who played 100 percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season.

Pro Football Focus recently identified Okereke as the Giants’ most underrated player.

NEW YORK GIANTS: LB Bobby Okereke

Okereke was everything and even more that the Giants might have hoped for when they signed him as a free agent in 2023. Not only did he play a career-high snap total, but his 1,128 snaps over the regular season ranked second among all linebackers. In addition, his 78.9 overall grade ranked 12th among linebackers.

Okereke was joined in the middle by second-year pro Micah McFadden in coordinator Wink Martindale’s defense. The tandem stood out and gave the fans some hope that the Giants’ defense could return to prominence.

With Martindale moving on after the season (replaced by Shane Bowen) it remains to be seen if Okereke will carry the same load going forward.

But one thing is certain. General manager Joe Schoen hit big when he signed Okereke to a four-year deal.

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Giants have weakest offensive line in NFL, says PFF

Despite their offseason upgrades, Pro Football Focus believes the New York Giants still have the weakest offensive line in football.

This offseason, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen continued his quest to fix the offensive line. In his first two drafts, he used first, second, and third-day picks on college hopefuls that could upgrade the team’s weakest unit.

This time around, Schoen ignored the line in the draft but used a significant amount of his available cap space on veterans who he hope can fill the gaps.

Regardless, the folks at Pro Football Focus still aren’t buying into Schoen’s plan as they are rating the Giants’ offensive line as the weakest in the league heading into this season.

Weakest: New York Giants

Even after earning the worst offensive line grade of any team in 2023, the Giants did very little to improve their unit this offseason. The group recorded a 44.6 PFF grade last year and will hope a fully healthy Andrew Thomas and the additions of guard Jon Runyan (56.5 PFF grade in 2023) and tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (68.7) can provide a boost.

Keep in mind, the Giants also have a new unit coach in former Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line coach, Carmen Bricillo, who the team believes will be an upgrade over the outgoing Bobby Johnson.

Last season, the Giants had to revert to a patchwork line chock full of washed-up and washed-out players due to injuries. The three players that Schoen is building the line around — tackles Thomas and Evan Neal and center John Michael Schmitz — were all injured for significant stretches last season.

They are all expected to be back healthy and ready to assume their starting roles. Schoen brought in Runyan and Eluemonor will provide much-needed stability at guard.

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Giants won’t open 2024 season against Cowboys

The New York Giants will avoid the Dallas Cowboys in their regular-season opener for just the fourth time since 2012.

The New York Giants will not open the 2024 regular season against the Dallas Cowboys.

Instead, the Cowboys will face off in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, which will be Tom Brady’s broadcasting debut on Fox.

The Giants lost last season’s opener to the Cowboys by an embarrassing score of 40-0 at MetLife Stadium. They dropped the follow-up meeting down in Arlington, 49-17, in November.

From 2012 through 2019, the Giants and Cowboys faced each other eight times in Week 1. The NFL gave them a three-year break from 2020 through 2022 but they were right back to “tradition” last season.

Dallas has defeated the Giants in 13 of the last 14 meetings between the two teams.

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Giants release LB Jeremiah Martin

The New York Giants have officially signed DL Elijah Chatman and released LB Jeremiah Martin, plus other roster notes.

The New York Giants have released linebacker Jeremiah Martin in effort to make room for defensive lineman Elijah Chatman, who was signed after a successful tryout during rookie minicamp.

Martin, who went undrafted out of Washington in 2023, originally signed with the Cleveland Browns but was waived as a part of final cuts. He was signed to the Giants’ practice squad on January 1, 2024 and later to a reserve/futures deal following the conclusion of the regular season.

The 24-year-old Martin was not elevated for the team’s Week 18 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and has not appeared in a regular season NFL game.

Meanwhile, running back Deon Jackson, who was waived with an injury designation last week, has reverted to injured reserve (IR).

Following the transactions, the Giants have 87 players signed to their 90-man roster with four members of their 2024 NFL draft still unsigned (Tyler Nubin, Andru Phillips, Theo Johnson, and Darius Muasau). They also have a roster exemption for kicker Jude McAtamney, allowing them to carry a total of 91 players.

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Giants announce 100th-season celebration

The New York Giants will celebrate their 100th season in 2024 and plan to commemorate the anniversary in big ways.

The New York Giants will celebrate 100 seasons in 2024 and to commemorate that milestone they have unveiled a patch that will be worn on their jerseys.

“The entire Mara family is proud to commemorate the 100th season of New York Giants football,” said Giants co-owner John Mara. “As we reflect on this landmark season, I think about my family, and most specifically my father, grandfather and uncle who dedicated their entire lives to the Giants and the NFL. We would not be who we are without their vision and leadership. When we became partners with the Tisch family in 1991, our franchise grew even stronger. Together, the Mara and Tisch families are proud to celebrate the history of our franchise as we look to the future of Giants football.”

“I first saw the Giants play in person in the early 1960s when my father would take me to games at Yankee Stadium,” said fellow co-owner Steve Tisch. “Going to Giants games was a wonderfully magical ritual. It inspired my lifelong love of the Giants. When my father became an equal partner of the Giants in 1991, it was the realization of a longtime dream. Our family has relished our association with the Giants and look forward to many years of success in the future.”

In addition to the new jersey logo, the organization will host Giants 100: A Night with Legends at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The town-hall event will feature more than 20 Giants legends and many current members of the team.

Those slated to attend include Eli Manning, Harry Carson, Tiki Barber, Bill Parcells, and Tom Coughlin.

“Our planning for the 100th season started close to two years ago and we are excited to celebrate this milestone with our fans, alumni and partners. This season will be a time to reflect on the players, moments and championship teams that have defined the first 100 seasons of Giants football. We will celebrate through featured content, events and special activations all season long,” said Nilay Shah, Giants Senior Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy.

In July, the team will release its ranking of the Giants’ 100 greatest players of all time as voted on by NFL historians, media members, and fan contributors. A 10-part podcast series hosted by Bob Papa will break down the contributions of those players.

Other plans to celebrate season No. 100 include merchandise; a book titled New York Football Giants: The People, The Moments, The Traditions; and an NFL Network documentary titled The Duke that focuses on late owner Wellington Mara.

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Pair of Panthers offseason trades projected to have big impact in 2024

The Panthers were involved in a pair of potentially impactful trades this offseason.

A pair of Carolina Panthers swaps could end up leaving some pretty noticeable imprints on the 2024 season.

NFL.com content editor Tom Blair recently ranked the top 10 traded players who he believes will have the biggest impact on the upcoming campaign. Coming in at No. 4 is pass rusher Brian Burns, whom the Panthers shipped off to the New York Giants back on March 11.

Blair writes:

I thought about slotting Burns at the top of this list, and maybe I should have. Of everyone in my top 10, he seems like the safest lock to play like a star for his new team in 2024. Unlike Allen and Diggs, the 26-year-old is still squarely in his prime, and unlike Jeudy, he’s a proven entity with a high floor. Burns has had a double-digit pressure rate every year of his career, per Next Gen Stats, and he should team with Kayvon Thibodeaux to boost a defense that finished 30th in pressure rate last season. The problem is, I could see Burns wrecking opponents this season and the Giants still stumbling because of offensive limitations. So, perhaps unfairly, he lands here, capped, in a way, by the lingering uncertainty around what Daniel Jones will bring to the table.

Well, that was kinda the same story for Burns in Carolina. Despite being selected as a two-time Pro Bowl starter, the former 16th overall pick was a tad overlooked amongst the offensive mess the organization produced over his five pro seasons.

A bit further down Blair’s list at No. 9 sits wideout Diontae Johnson, whom the Panthers acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers a day after trading Burns to New York:

Trading for Johnson was a reasonable dice roll for the Panthers, who need as much help as they can get for second-year quarterback Bryce Young. If the veteran flames out in the final year of his contract, then Carolina can move on (and I’ll regret not using this spot on an offensive lineman like Morgan Moses or Ryan Bates). Perhaps, though, the Panthers can get more out of Johnson, whose unfortunate penchant for being in drama-tinged headlines shouldn’t obscure the respectable per-catch mark (14.1) he managed to put up while working with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky. In the best-case scenario, Johnson revitalizes his own prospects while playing a role in saving the career of a potential franchise quarterback.

Johnson could very well being that potential franchise quarterback’s go-to option in 2024. A Pro Bowler in his own right, the 27-year-old pass catcher has amassed at least 87 targets in each of his five NFL campaigns.

As Blair notes, Johnson is entering the final year of his contract—so the Panthers could see a timely “prove-it” performance from one of their newest receivers.

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Giants, former LSU WR Malik Nabers says football ‘saved (his) life’

Malik Nabers opened up about the impact football has had on his life after his first professional practice.

Rookie minicamp has kicked off for every NFL team and the organizations and their fans are getting their first up close and personal look at the players who could be the future of their franchise.

One of those players is former LSU wide receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who was taken with the sixth pick of the first round in the 2024 NFL draft. He was the second wide receiver taken off the board and he is going to one of the biggest markets in the world, New York City, with the Giants.

After his first practice, Nabers was asked what football means to him and how it has affected his life.

“I’m a funny person to be around, good person to be around,” Nabers said, per On3. “As a person that plays football, it’s the kind of thing that saved my life. So I take it serious. I’m happy to be here, I’m finally here. So just to get out there running with the guys, it’s a dream come true.”

Nabers will soon be the favorite target of his new quarterback Daniel Jones. The Giants needed a playmaker and that is who Nabers will be for them.

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Giants legends Lawrence Taylor, Ottis Anderson speak at Donald Trump rally

New York Giants legends Lawrence Taylor and Ottis Anderson took the stage at a Donald Trump rally over the weekend in New Jersey.

New York Giants legends Lawrence Taylor and Ottis “O.J.” Anderson made surprise appearances on Saturday in Wildwood, New Jersey, taking the stage at Donald Trump’s campaign rally.

The pair were welcomed to the microphone by the former president and received a rousing ovation from the thousands in attendance.

“I grew up a Democrat, and I’ve always been a Democrat until I met this man right here,” Taylor said. “Nobody in my family ever will vote for a Democrat again.”

Anderson was a bit more subdued when it was his turn to speak.

“Don’t you just love that guy?” Anderson said, referring to Taylor. “It has been a very exciting day. You guys, not one person left. You’re still here yelling and screaming.

“Thank you guys for all of your support. And how about a great shout-out for Metro Exhibits, baby. We made it happen. All because of you!”

Trump acknowledged the all-time Giants greats as they left the stage but admitted they don’t always see eye-to-eye on all things.

“He’s doing quite a great job. What do you think, Lawrence? Doing a great job!” Trump said. “Look at those two guys, O.J., Lawrence, my golfing friends. We don’t have to agree on everything!”

Anderson was a first-round pick of the then-St. Louis Cardinals in the 1979 NFL draft. He was traded to the Giants during the 1986 season and went on to rejuvenate his career in East Rutherford, highlighted by winning MVP in a Super Bowl XXV victory over the Buffalo Bills. The two-time Super Bowl champion and 1989 Comeback Player of the Year was enshrined in the Giants’ Ring of Honor in 2022.

Taylor was a first-round pick of the Giants in the 1981 NFL draft and his resume is too extensive to list. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year and one-time league MVP changed the way the game of football is played, both offensively and defensively. He is widely regarded as the greatest of all time.

In 1999, Taylor became a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. He was inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor in 2010 and had his No. 56 jersey retired in 1994.

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