New York Giants’ linebacker JT Thomas has agreed to take a pay cut with the team, reducing his base salary for the 2016 NFL season.
New York Giants’ linebacker JT Thomas has agreed to take a pay cut with the team following an underwhelming 2015 campaign.
For this season, Thomas’ base salary will be slashed from $2.97 million to $1.5 million. The restructured deal will also include $100,000 in per-game roster bonuses and $550,000 in playing-time incentives, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
Thomas signed a three-year $10 million pact with the Giants during the 2015 offseason, coming over from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
His 2014 campaign with the Jags was phenomenal as Thomas racked up 84 tackles, five pass deflections, and two interceptions while playing in all 16 games. Those numbers took a dip in his first year in New York as he managed just 46 tackles with no pass deflections or interceptions across 12 games.
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The third and final year of Thomas’ contract with New York was unaltered. For now, he will earn the full million he is due next season.
The Giants are unquestionably hoping for a bounce back year from Thomas. Though Johnathan Casillas and Devon Kennard have entrenched themselves as the starters, they’d still like to see Thomas get in the mix. He currently sits behind both Casillas and Keenan Robinson on the weak side linebacker depth chart, but hopefully, he can regain some of his 2014 form.
With that, Thomas will need to impress the coaching staff on special teams if he wants to see many defense snaps in 2016. If he can display improved tackling skills than what he showed last year, he has a chance to see time in the linebacker’s rotation.
