Kareem Martin has been an abject failure as a member of the NY Giants, and as such he seems to be an easy cap casualty this offseason.
Dave Gettleman has made his fair share of puzzling free agent signings; Kareem Martin might just take the cake for the worst of all of them. The poster boy for failed Arizona Cardinal rejects, Martin predictably flopped as a member of the NY Giants.
Finding anyone who liked the Martin signing initially was a tall task, and everyone that hated the move turned out to be right. For some reason, Gettleman thought it would be wise to invest $15M in a player that only produced 3.5 sacks in 56 games and 14 starts over four seasons with the Cardinals.
Still, defensive coordinator James Bettcher thought he could coax results out of Martin. To say Martin was a failure would be disrespectful to the word failure, as there are few words to describe just how bad Martin was as a member of the NY Giants.
The former third-round pick amassed just 1.5 sacks in 16 games and 7 starts with the Giants and was one of the worst pass defenders in recent memories. One of the stiffest linebackers in the NFL, Martin would have trouble covering many of the readers of this website.
For his ‘services’, Martin will end up being paid $7M per sack with Big Blue — good work if you can get it.
To make matters worse, Devon Kennard – who Dave Gettleman let walk for the exact same contract – has flourished in Detroit, and only seemed to be let go because he was a Jerry Reese draft pick.
With Big Blue needing edge rushers in the worst way, cutting Martin should be first up on Dave Gettleman’s offseason list. In the last year of his absurd contract, cutting Martin would cost the NY Giants just $1.16M in dead cap, an easy pill to swallow considering the circumstances.
This one seems to be a no brainer, and if Martin remains on the Giants in 2020 it would be means for a riot amongst the fan base.
Chance he’s cut: 90%
Potential 2020 cap savings: $4.8M