At some point, the New England Patriots are going to have to start paying the New York Giants royalties.
The Giants waived third-year linebacker Darius Muasau during Sunday’s roster cuts, giving the 25-year-old a chance to get picked up by any of the other 31 teams. Naturally, the Patriots came calling.
New England claimed Muasau off waivers on Monday, adding yet another former Giant to a roster that’s becoming suspiciously crowded with them. Cory Durden, Greg Van Roten, Tommy DeVito, Casey Rogers (who was waived by NE during cuts), and now Muasau. Seemingly every time somebody leaves East Rutherford, there’s a Patriots jersey waiting for them.
The Patriots have a type and it’s former Giants
Muasau is a pretty understandable addition for New England. The G-Men originally selected the former UCLA standout in the sixth round of the 2024 Draft, and he wound up playing considerably more football over his first two seasons than anyone probably expected.
Across 27 games and 18 starts, Muasau recorded 106 tackles, one sack, and one interception. That pick actually came in his NFL debut against Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings, because you only get one shot at a first impression.
His run in New York ultimately ended once head coach John Harbaugh got his hands on the linebacker room.
Big Blue added Tremaine Edmunds and used the No. 5 overall pick on Arvell Reese this offseason, while also bringing back Micah McFadden and drafting Jack Kelly in the sixth round. Muasau became the odd man out Sunday, and New England didn’t even let him reach free agency before they used their grubby talons to snatch him up.
Now, he’s got some familiar faces waiting for him.
Van Roten signed with the Pats earlier this month after starting 34 consecutive games at right guard in East Rutherford over the past two seasons. Rogers joined New England in early August after beginning his NFL career with NY as an undrafted free agent in 2024, while DeVito has apparently taken his Tommy Cutlets act north and worked his way into the backup quarterback job behind Drake Maye. He has a new nickname now -- Two Chains -- and it stinks, so there's that.
Read more about how terrible Tommy Cutlets' new nickname is here
Then there’s Durden, who might be responsible for this entire obsession.
The Patriots claimed the defensive tackle after the Giants waived him during last year’s roster cuts, and all he did was become a legitimate contributor during New England’s ensuing Super Bowl run. If you’re wondering why the Pats keep digging through New York’s leftovers, there’s probably your answer.
Muasau now becomes the fifth former Giant the Patriots have scooped up over the past two years, and at this rate, GM Joe Schoen should probably save everyone some time and give New England a courtesy call before making his next move.
Apparently, one man’s roster cut is New England’s depth chart.
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