The NY Giants were trying their best to try and trade James Bradberry leading up to the NFL Draft. Even after the draft came and went, general manager Joe Schoen was working overtime trying to deal the former Pro Bowl cornerback to a new squad. Again, it was a big swing and a miss for Schoen and Co.
However, Schoen reportedly had things ready to rock with the Houston Texans. In this trade, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, Houston would receive Bradberry and the Giants would get a late-round pick in return. However, Duggan is also reporting that this all fell through because Houston and Bradberry couldn’t agree on terms for a new contract. That’s brutal for New York.
ICYMI, unpacking James Bradberry’s release:
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) May 10, 2022
• Details on a quashed trade
• Why the Giants weren’t interested in an extension/restructure
• Potential CB replacements on and off the roster
• Still expecting a Leonard Williams restructure at some pointhttps://t.co/D771bXmWIx
James Bradberry contract demands cost the NY Giants big time
Some Giants fans might be disappointed with Bradberry right now. They would have loved a draft pick in return for him from Houston. At the end of the day, though, he wasn’t going to take any kind of a discount just so he could help the Giants out. Now that he’s officially a free agent, several squads are showing interest.
Not only that, it’s teams that are expected to be playoff contenders next season. The list includes the Eagles, Colts, Raiders, Chiefs and more. No disrespect to the Texans, but that organization is a complete dumpster fire. Several mock drafts for 2023 are already predicting Houston to land the No. 1 overall pick next spring. The Texans will be lucky to win 4-5 games in 2022.
This is of course something that Bradberry wanted to keep in mind. The veteran defensive back likely didn’t want to take less money to join a struggling franchise – which makes total sense. Instead, Bradberry will now have his pick at where he’ll suit up next and he’ll be ready to receive the kind of money he thinks he deserves.
For the Giants and Schoen, the release of Bradberry will create more than $10 million in cap space, which was of course needed to help sign the team’s new draft picks. Fans would have loved to see the speedy CB back in blue for 2022, his teammates as well, but that won’t be the case. We should find out his next destination soon, but fans know for sure he won’t be playing for New York or Houston.