The New York Giants are parting ways with defensive captain Logan Ryan, who himself shared the news on social media.
The Giants quickly followed up on Ryan’s tweet by officially announcing the move.
According to NFL insider Mike Garafolo, Ryan had $8.5 million in guaranteed money to work out in the second year of his three-year, $30 million contract.
This season, Ryan, 31, received a base salary of $9.25 million and a cap allowance of $12.25 million. If the Giants give him a “after June 1” cut, they’ll save $3.75 million on the limit but still have $8.475 million of dead money. However, the Giants could not use the money saved until June 1 if they gave him a “post-June 1” cut.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that the Giants may not be placing the “after June 1” designation on Ryan. According to Over The Cap, that means the giants seem ready to swallow $11.45 million of dead money while saving just $775k. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports that this is “definitely notclipping after June 1st.
What does it mean
This move is obviously more appropriate than saving on a cap.
Ryan, a nine-year veteran, has spent the last two seasons in New York. He started 30 games and quickly became the team leader after signing a contract right before the start of the 2020 season.
However, Ryan had ties to former coach Joe Judge and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham when they were with the New England Patriots. With a new regime in power, the Giants decided to move on.
This decision leaves the Giants thin in a safe position. The Jabrill Peppers are a free agent and JR Reid is not expected to return. Thus, Xavier McKinney and Julian Love remain the only experienced defenders in the current lineup.
Notre Dame guard Kyle Hamilton, considered by some to be the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, should now be seen as a potential target for the Giants, who have a fifth and seventh overall pick.
OT Corey Cunningham re-signed
The Giants are bringing back Corey Cunningham, who played 12 games for the Giants last season. Cunningham, a seventh-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, also played for the New England Patriots.