It caught some by surprise when the Giants released Logan Ryan last week — especially because of the way they did it. By cutting him now, the Giants saved less than $1 million in cap space.
Clearly, it was a decision that wasn’t motivated by money — general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll didn’t see him as a fit for the new-look Giants. Ryan didn’t have to wait long to find a new team, though, quickly joining up with Tom Brady and signing a one-year deal with the Buccaneers.
But that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily what he wanted.
“Yeah it wasn’t my call,” Ryan said at his introductory press conference in Tampa Bay on Thursday. “It was the direction they (the Giants) wanted to go.”
Ryan only lasted one year into a three-year extension he signed with the Giants during the 2020 season, worth $31 million. Ryan had a close relationship with ex-coach Joe Judge, but it’s unclear if his ties to the previous regime had something to do with him getting dumped.
The Giants, though, were so willing to get rid of Ryan that they’ll be carrying an $11.4 million dead cap hit by cutting him now, rather than keeping him at a $12.2 million cap hit. There will be some cap savings in 2023, but the Giants’ defense in the immediate future (meaning, 2022) will certainly take a hit, especially since Ryan was a team captain and second on the team in tackles last year with 117.
Ryan didn’t expand much on the Giants’ decision to cut him, pivoting instead to talking about everything he loves about the new team he’s joining — a team viewed as a Super Bowl contender, as opposed to one that’s rebuilding like the Giants.
“I’m really excited for being on the Bucs,” Ryan said. “We talk about Tom (Brady) and a lot about this and some of the roster, but also the building. There’s just a great building here, talking to (coach Bruce Arians) about what he believes in his players and his players policing the locker room, how he respects and believes in his veterans, values his veterans, that just felt so great ... There’s a lot of reasons that things are moving in a great direction here and it has a lot to do with the people in this building.”
When Ryan signed with the Giants late in training camp in 2020, he was determined to play safety after playing cornerback for most of his NFL career before that. He lingered in free agency that year until the Giants, after Xavier McKinney got injured, came calling with a one-year deal worth $6.5 million. He stayed at safety for both seasons.
He sounds a little more willing to play elsewhere if that’s what Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles asks of him in Tampa.
“Versatility is my calling card in this league so whatever position that might be, that’s up to Todd Bowles to play me wherever he wants to play me,” Ryan said.
Two years ago, the Buccaneers were one of the teams that spoke with Ryan in free agency before he eventually signed with the Giants. That — along with Brady’s presence coming back to Tampa after initially retiring — helped seal the deal quickly this time.
“The No. 1 thing about coming here was winning a championship,” Ryan said. “That’s what I’m here to do and help with and being a teammate of tom that’s what he’s about. Playing football at the highest level, practicing football at the highest level and obviously the expectation and standard is championship each and every year, each and every day. So I was excited to have that opportunity and that’s what I’m playing for at this point of my career ...
Brady “was part of it,” he said. “It was pretty mutual a couple years ago and it didn’t work out at the time just with money but it worked out this time. It didn’t take much of a recruiting pitch this time because I know how much the organization valued me a few years ago.
“Better late than never.”
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zrosenblatt@njadvancemedia.com.
Ad Choices