NY Giants tight end Rhett Ellison made the team’s decision easy on his potential return for 2020 by retiring.
Many had speculated that this would be the possible outcome; now we know it is. NY Giants tight end Rhett Ellison has chosen to retire rather than be subjected to probably being released ahead of the 2020 NFL free agency cycle.
One of the main potential roster cuts for the Giants, GM Dave Gettleman will have one less decision to make now that Ellison has chosen to spend the rest of his life with his family rather than pursuing the NFL grind. Big Blue will save $5M against the cap in 2020 by Ellison not being on the team with the team’s potential cap space soaring close to $80M.
Ellison suffered from concussion problems in 2019, and I don’t think there’s a rational person out there that could argue against the move the tight end made today. After eight years in the NFL, Ellison is choosing to get out of the league before his head problems become more serious.
It’s a decision we’ve seen much younger players make, and it’s likely Ellison realized that he was likely to be released anyway. A Jerry Reese signing that didn’t work out, the former USC tight end was a capable blocker during his time with Big Blue but never realized his receiving potential.
The NY Giants will head into 2020 with Evan Engram and Kaden Smith as it’s top two tight end options, with 2019 undrafted rookie CJ Conrad and Garrett Dickerson fighting for the #3 spot. Rumors of Jason Witten joining Big Blue have been swirling since Jason Garrett took over the offensive coordinator role, and it’ll be interesting to see if that’s something GM Dave Gettleman will explore now that there’s a potential opening on the depth chart.
Ellison failed to eclipse 25 receptions, 300 receiving yards or two receiving touchdowns with his time with the Giants, but he’ll be remembered for always bringing it in the run game and being a solid teammate.
We here at GMENHQ wish Ellison the best in the next phase of his life.