Logan Ryan is a Giant no longer.
Logan Ryan‘s East Rutherford tenure concludes after only two seasons.
Via Twitter Thursday, the veteran safety announced he would be leaving the Giants. The organization signed him to a one-year deal prior to the 2020 regular season and inked him to a three-year extension late that same year.
Ryan had two years remaining on his deal. This release is not one of the post-June 1 variety, so the Giants will save just $775,000 while taking on an $11.45 million dead cap hit, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
Thank You NY ❤️ Captain Log Out ?? pic.twitter.com/Pl6m2Y3nJC
— Logan Ryan (@RealLoganRyan) March 17, 2022
Can confirm this is not a post-June 1 cut, per source. Eating $11.45 mill (and saving just 775K) to get rid of a player with a $12.225 mill 2022 cap hit (to further my point below) #Giants https://t.co/TX0wqRXmxW
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) March 17, 2022
This completely opens the door to a number of possible moves.
The Giants could look to retain Jabrill Peppers, who is a free agent after having his rookie contract expire. However, Peppers is coming off season-ending ACL and ankle injuries. Jabrill is an athletic safety who may be a nice fit in Wink Martindale’s blitz-heavy defense, but he’s also struggled in coverage. Peppers joined the Giants in 2019 after finding himself a part of the infamous Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
Letting Peppers walk in free agency and moving forward with talented young safety Xavier McKinney (who’s still on his rookie deal) was always a reasonable move. Although, this parting of ways with Ryan could change things.
The release of Ryan additionally opens the door to the Giants potentially drafting a safety early in the first round.
Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton, who figures to be a top-10 pick, is the only safety worthy of that type of selection. If the Fighting Irish standout is available at No. 5 overall (when the Giants are first on the board), new general manager Joe Schoen could make a move.
Bradberry?
The Giants might still trade cornerback James Bradberry, despite the fact $2 million of his $13.4 million 2022 salary became guaranteed as of 4:00 p.m. ET Wednesday.
It’s not confirmed the Giants would acquire a significant return for Bradberry, who’s entering the final season of the three-year contract he signed in 2020. He doesn’t have an incredible market at the moment, given the number of teams that have already filled vacancies at the position.
Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter: @RyanHoneyESNY
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