When veteran cornerback James Bradberry suits up for the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants will literally and figuratively be paying the price.
Not only will Bradberry make New York’s division rival a little stingier on defense, the Giants will owe Bradberry more money in the form of a dead cap hit than the Eagles will pay him in regular salary in 2022. Bradberry’s dead cap hit with the Giants is $11.7 million, while the Eagles will pay him a maximum of $10 million for one season, according to a May 18 tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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Credit to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis for making the initial observation, sarcastically referencing the Giants’ former general manager: “thanks for all you did Dave Gettleman.”
Bradberry’s dead cap hit is the result of a three-year, $45 million deal that didn’t fully work out. Although he was a Pro Bowler in his first season with the Giants, Bradberry’s performance took a step back in 2021. Originally signed in 2020 by Gettleman, Bradberry was recently released by the new regime under general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll as part of a cost-cutting measure that saved the Giants roughly $10 million against the salary cap.
The Giants did try to trade Bradberry but ultimately had to release him after failing to find a trade partner that was willing to absorb his contract. To make matters worse for New York, Sharp pointed out, Philadelphia might also wind up with a compensatory pick.
He wrote: “reminder: if James Bradberry leaves the Eagles in free agency after his one-year deal is up, Philly gets a comp for free.”
reminder: if James Bradberry leaves the Eagles in free agency after his one-year deal is up, Philly gets a comp pick for free
the Giants gave Bradberry a 3-yr, $43.5M deal in 2020
the Eagles get him for $10M for one year and a comp pick if he leaves after this year
These are painful numbers to accept for the Giants, but it’s all part of a cleanup effort after the mess left behind by Gettleman. The Giants will pay out over $31.2 million (roughly 15% of the total salary cap) in dead salary cap hits in 2022 to players no longer on the team.
Here’s a full list of New York’s dead salary cap hits, courtesy of Spotrac:
Spotrac.comThe New York Giants have north of $31 million in dead salary cap hits in 2022.
Joining Bradberry on the list of five players no longer on the Giants with a dead salary cap hit of at least $1 million are defensive back Logan Ryan ($11.45 million), offensive tackle Nate Solder ($4 million), tight end Kyle Rudolph ($2.4 million) and running back Devontae Booker ($1 million).
The Good News About the Giants’ Salary Cap
OK, that was a lot of bad news. But there is some good news for the Giants regarding the salary cap. Pro Football Focus just released its 2022 Cap Health Rankings, and the Giants ranked fourth in the NFL behind only the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
Here’s the full ranking, courtesy of Pro Football Focus salary cap analyst Brad Spielberger:
First edition of the 2022 Cap Health Rankings, with a handful of updates from prior versions:
1. Now using weighted averages for each category
2. Roster quality matters more
The Washington Commanders (ranked fifth) are the only other team in the NFC East that ranks in the top half of the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys rank 25th and the Eagles rank 31st, in front of just the New Orleans Saints.
A Little Inspiration for the Future
If the PFF Cap Health Rankings weren’t enough to lift Giants fans’ spirits, here’s a 2018 highlight of wide receiver Kenny Golladay (then with the Detroit Lions) torching Bradberry (then with the Carolina Panthers) for a game-winning touchdown.
Golladay finished this game with eight catches for 113 yards, including the game-winning touchdown catch, with Bradberry primarily in coverage. Assuming both players stay healthy this season, we’ll see this matchup when the Giants and Eagles meet in Week 14 (home) and again for the rematch in Week 18 (road).
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James Bradberry Will Get More Money From Giants Than Eagles in 2022