Days after Brandon Marshall told Dez Bryant there was “no room” for him in New York, the veteran receiver was apparently told the same message by Giants management on Thursday.
Brandon Marshall told Dez Bryant there was “no room” for him on the New York Giants. Apparently, there’s no room for Marshall either.
The veteran wide receiver was released by the Giants on Thursday afternoon, the news first broken by Kimberley Martin of The Washington Post.
Source: WR Brandon Marshall has been informed the #Giants are releasing him today
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) April 19, 2018
The timing of the announcement almost perfectly coincided with Giants general manager Dave Gettleman’s pre-draft press conference. As Gettleman answered questions about the team’s strategy for next week’s selection proceedings, he was asked about Martin’s report. After briefly feigning ignorance, he confirmed the receiver’s release, putting the blame on a “failed physical”.
Marshall had spent the offseason rehabbing an ankle injury suffered in an October game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The injury cost him the final 11 games of the 2017 season, after he had missed only 9 games in his previous 11 NFL seasons.
The March 2016 signing of Marshall, 34, headlined an exciting offseason for the Giants, as his addition made the team a trendy Super Bowl pick. Added on a two-year, $12 million deal, Marshall was expected to join and mentor a young receiver group headlined by Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard, as well as rookie tight end Evan Engram.
However, Marshall struggled from the outset in his Giants cameo, making just two catches on nine targets in the first two games of the season. His best performance in blue was an eight-reception, 66-yard performance in a 27-24 Week 3 loss in Philadelphia. He ended the season, and his Giants tenure, with 18 receptions for 154 yards and no touchdowns, all setting career-lows in an abbreviated year.
Marshall acknowledged his Giants release on Instagram, posting a short video of his hand removing the name tag from his Giants locker. Photos of Marshall training in a Giants helmet remain posted.
A six-time Pro Bowl invitee, and two-time All-Pro selection, Marshall began his career as a fourth-round selection with the Denver Broncos. He also spent time with the Dolphins, Bears, and Jets before remaining in the tri-state area with the Giants.
Marshall’s release has opened the floodgates on Bryant speculation all over again. Bryant has expressed interest in joining an NFC East squad after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, and later praised the youthful offensive core the Giants have built.
Gettleman played coy when asked about the possibility of seeing Bryant in a new shade of blue, saying, “I have interest in everybody.”
The release of Marshall saves the Giants $5 million in cap space, giving them just under $10 million to work with prior to next week’s draft. Bryant was a $17 million cap hit to Dallas’s budget last season.
