Veteran edge rusher Markus Golden says he’d “love” to be back with the New York Giants for the 2020 campaign.
Since the beginning of his New York Giants tenure, general manager Dave Gettleman has made some head-scratching moves. The signing of edge rusher Markus Golden isn’t one of them. In his inaugural season with New York, Golden has racked up nine sacks and 15 tackles-for-loss through 14 games, both of which are team-highs. The next most number of sacks and tackles-for-loss is 4.5 from Oshane Ximines and seven from Dalvin Tomlinson, respectively.
The issue with Golden though is that his contract expires at the end of this season. New York inked him to just a one-year deal worth $3.75 million. So will he even return next year? That’s yet to be determined, but when asked about it, Golden said he’d “love” to be back.
“It’s been great being here competing,” he said, per Tom Rock of Newsday. “Of course it’s been a down year but at the end of the day, everybody here has been great people. Everybody is trying to do whatever they can do to win. I know everybody here wants to win. That’s a good sign because I want to make sure I’m able to win.”
If Golden is back next year, he most likely won’t be with the same defensive coordinator he’s had for much of his career. Before coming to the Giants, James Bettcher was Golden’s coach during their tenures with the Arizona Cardinals. Bettcher was the coordinator there from 2015-17, with Golden’s Cardinals tenure lasting from 2015-18. With the major defensive struggles, it’s unlikely Bettcher will retain his current job.
Regardless of who the coordinator will be, fans will surely want Golden back. He’s a bright spot in what’s been another rough season for this organization.
