James Bradberry couldn’t help but laugh.
The cap-strained Giants released Bradberry two weeks ago after failing to work out a trade, and last week he landed with the rival Eagles. The 28-year-old corner was asked Tuesday how he felt about the timing of being cut after the NFL draft, and he chuckled as he began his answer as he clearly wasn’t pleased with how his release went down.
“First of all, I understand it’s a business. I was putting my business cap on first and understanding that I’m an asset. So I understand that they want something for me, so that was part of the game,” Bradberry told reporters. “Personally, didn’t necessarily like it, but it’s a business at the end of the day and I understand that.”
Bradberry seemed destined to play for a new team since the day Joe Schoen took over as the Giants general manager in January. His $21.9 million cap charge for 2022 was untenable for a team which desperately needed to slash salary. The Giants saved $10.1 million on the 2022 cap by cutting Bradberry, a 2020 Pro Bowler in his first of two seasons with the team after signing a three-year, $43.3 million contract.
The timing left Bradberry unlikely to land a multi-year deal since NFL free agency began two months earlier. He signed a one-year, $7.25 million deal with Philadelphia with the potential for $2.5 million in incentives. The chance to hit the market again next season “for sure” played a role in the length of the deal, Bradberry said Tuesday.
Bradberry languished in NFL purgatory as the Giants tried to figure out if they could make a trade work before ultimately releasing him.
“I was very anxious, because of course I didn’t know what decision was gonna be made,” Bradberry said of waiting for a resolution. “So a lot of anxiety throughout that period, but I knew just being patient and waiting, eventually things were gonna shake out and I was gonna be in the right place.”