NY Giants GM Dave Gettleman displayed patience throughout the Logan Ryan contract negotiations and it paid off big for Big Blue.
Ever since DeAndre Baker got embattled in serious legal problems and Sam Beal decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns, the cornerback position has been looked at by many as the weak point of the entire NY Giants roster.
As such, many NY Giants fans have been campaigning for the team to go out and sign the best available defensive back on the market in Logan Ryan. Although I had been cautioning restraint in spending big money on an older player on a short-term contract after news broke of the signing I wanted to take a closer look at the contract structure before making a final determination.
If Gettleman had gone out and paid Ryan the $10M he had been rumored to be looking for to play for the NY Giants in 2020, I wouldn’t have liked the signing; however, that is far from the case as when you take a look at how the contract is set up, Gettleman appears to have gotten a steal.
Many in the media pointed out that since the veteran recently switched agents that it would open up the door for the NY Giants to get back in the mix on signing Ryan, and that’s exactly what happened.
According to Profootballtalk.com, Dave Gettleman was able to pull off quite the steal in this scenario.
Reported as a one-year, $7.5M contract, here are the actual details of the new Logan Ryan contract with the Giants, which ties $1.5M to playing time and another $1M to Pro Bowl/All-Pro https://t.co/0Q9kyPQoty
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 1, 2020
So what were the final terms Logan Ryan and the NY Giants agreed to?
First reported as a 1 year/$7.5M contract, Logan Ryan would have to have an amazing season to see all of that money. In all actuality, Ryan is getting a base value of $5M – which is much more in line with what we could have reasonably spent on the vet – with another possible $2.5 coming in the form of playing time and performance incentives.
To be exact, Ryan has to play in 60% of the NY Giants’ 2020 snaps to add another 600K to the deal, 80% of snaps to make that figure an even $1M, and 90% of snaps to max out at $1.5M in playing time incentives.
Although Ryan played in just about every snap for the Titans in 2019, injuries happen in this league and its far from a guarantee that he’ll meet all of those thresholds. And, if he does, it would likely mean he’s played well for Big Blue making the contract a a successful one for a player of his caliber.
The final possible $1M Logan Ryan can earn come in the form of Pro Bowl and All-Pro appearances, which is why the number is being reported at $7.5M although its very unlikely he hits all of those — especially the Pro Bowl and All-Pro aspects as he’s yet to make either of those teams in his seven-year career.
And again, if he did have an All-Pro year for the NY Giants in 2020, $7.5M would be an absolute steal.
So, this is very much a low-risk, high-reward type signing that bulks up a position that the team suddenly found itself weak at after promising rookie Xavier McKinney went down with an injury that has landed him on injured reserve.
If he ends up missing time with an injury, the team could only have to pay him $5M, and if he plays almost all the snaps for the defense he’ll reel in $6.5M which is very reasonable. Lastly, NY Giants fans would be extactic to have a defensive back make a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, so again, $7.5M would be a steal in that regard.
Timing has not been Dave Gettleman’s strong suit when it comes to striking free agent deals and trades, but it appears he’s knocked this one out of the park by staying patient and letting things unfold.