Former New York Giants Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry signed a one-year deal with the rival Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, a move that will cost the Giants in more ways than one.
In fact, the Giants will pay a larger dead cap hit for Bradberry than Philly will pay in his 2022 salary.
the Giants have a larger dead cap hit ($11.7M) to have James Bradberry play for the Eagles than the Eagles are actually paying him ($10M)
thanks for all you did Dave Gettleman https://t.co/FiyHULUw2S
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 18, 2022
The Giants signed Bradberry to a three-year, $45 million free agent deal before the 2020 season and the former Carolina Panthers’ second round pick had a breakout year and was named to the Pro Bowl after the season.
Last year, Bradberry followed that up with another solid campaign and established himself as a cornerstone of the Giants’ defense.
But with the salary cap out of control and incoming general manager Joe Schoen not beholden to anyone on the existing roster, he has been systematically cutting and trimming the roster in an effort to get the club back into a more livable salary cap structure.
Schoen tried to trade Bradberry but was unsuccessful. That led to Bradberry’s outright release two weeks ago, making him a free agent.
This is just another case of Schoen cleaning up from the excesses and miscalculations of the previous administration led by his predecessor, Dave Gettleman.