Source: Panthers free agent CB James Bradberry signs deal with Giants
The Panthers have lost their first big defensive player of the offseason. Cornerback James Bradberry has signed with the New York Giants, per a source with knowledge of the situation. He has signed a 3-year. $45 million contract and will receive $32 million guaranteed in his new home.
In addition to the Panthers officially making the decision not to place the franchise tag on Bradberry earlier today, it had been clear for some time that the cornerback was expected to move on in free agency. In his four years in Carolina, Bradberry developed into the team’s top corner and had the responsibility of defending opposing team’s top receivers, an especially difficult task in the NFC South.
Bradberry, 26, reunites with former Panthers general manager David Gettleman, who drafted him in the second round out of Samford in 2016. Over the past four years, he has totaled eight interceptions, 279 tackles and two forced fumbles.
The cornerback is coming off the best year of his career. He allowed a completion percentage of 59.8 percent this past season and 11.1 yards per completion. On a bad defense in 2019, Bradberry was a positive and Carolina does not have a player on the roster that is ready to fill his spot. The team addressed the defensive line and safety on the first day of free agency, but cornerback is still a question mark.
Bradberry had expressed for some time that he would play under the franchise tag if the team went in that direction, but told The Observer that his ideal scenario was a long-term deal somewhere. He will now move for the first time in four years with his new daughter, born February 14. Ultimately he got the $15 million a year that he desired, a number that Gettleman famously would not give free agent cornerback Josh Norman a similar amount of money in 2016, the same offseason he drafted Bradberry.
“I don’t want to say that his personality, you know, got him to (be an) All-Pro, Pro Bowl guy, because I watched his film, and, you know, he played lights out in 2015,” Bradberry told The Observer about Norman last month. “I think it’s combination of both. I feel like if I was more talkative on the field, I probably would have more recognition. But I think I play well, too, so I don’t know what it is. It’s just not my year right here — 2019-20 wasn’t my year. I’ll say that. It wasn’t my time. Everything’s about timing.”
The NFC East will feature less top wide receiver talent for Bradberry and will be an environment he will have the opportunity to thrive in.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 7:00 PM.
