Getty Jabrill Peppers #21, Oshane Ximines #53 and Deandre Baker #27 of the New York Giants
DeAndre Baker’s chances of returning to a football field anytime soon have just severely decreased.
New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard reported that Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz formally charged the New York Giants cornerback with four counts of robbery with a firearm.
Baker’s charges stem from a May 13 incident in Miramar, Florida, where the Miami native is accused of stealing cash and jewelry from four men at a house party. If convicted, the 22-year-old Baker will face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in state prison.
BREAKING NEWS: #Giants corner DeAndre Baker has been charged with four counts of robbery with a firearm, per Broward State Attorney Mike Satz. If convicted, the punishment for robbery with a firearm is a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in state prison.
It’s also been reported that prosecutors are declining to charge Seattle Seahawks Quinton Dunbar due to insufficient evidence. Dunbar was originally issued an arrest warrant at the same time as Baker for his potential involvement in the robbery.
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Baker’s Career With Giants Likely Done
Baker had been awaiting an appeal by the league since landing on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List on July 27, although any hopes he had of winning his appeal have disappeared following his charges.
NFL rules do permit players on the exempt list to report to team facilities and participate in “some non-football activities.” However, as Leonard previously reported, the Giants opted against allowing Baker in the building while his legal issues played out.
Baker’s employment with Big Blue had been hanging on by a thread in recent months and is likely nearing its ultimate end following his charges.
New Giants head coach Joe Judge recently discussed Baker’s standing within the Giants’ organization to members of the media, keeping things brief and to the point.
“He’s not on our 90-man roster,” Judge said of Baker. “Currently, he’s on the exempt list. So I’ll let the league deal with that issue.”
Baker’s Whirlwind Year with Giants
Off the field issues aside, Baker took part in a rollercoaster rookie season with the Giants. The 2018 Jim Thorpe Award winner, which is awarded to college football’s best cornerback, was torched on a near-weekly basis. His poor play culminated in an atrocious Pro Football Focus overall grade of just 48.4.
With that said, the former Georgia Bulldog standout did begin to show glimpses of growth towards the latter part of the season. Per PFF, he owned the 6th-best coverage grade among cornerbacks from Week 12 through Week 15, allowing a mere 26.3 completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks.
Still, what may prove to be Baker’s lone season in New York was met with way too few positives to combat the abundance of negative return the Giants have gotten from the cornerback thus far.
It’s been widely reported that Baker commonly fell asleep during team meetings last year. Furthermore, his 7 touchdowns allowed in 2019 as the nearest defender was tied for fourth-most in the NFL.
Certainly not what the Giants and GM Dave Gettleman had hoped for when they opted to trade back up into the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to acquire Baker’s services.