The New York Giants came into the 2022 offseason with one goal; slash their salary cap as much as possible. Joe Schoen is taking over what is a very ugly situation when it comes to the salary cap, as Dave Gettleman left the franchise in a much worse place than when he inherited it. James Bradberry could be the next player to go and the Kansas City Chiefs might make a move for him.
Schoen has done what he could thus far, releasing some veterans to open up some money to spend and restructuring the deals of others. But, there is still plenty of work to do when it comes to reaching his goal of cutting $40 million off of the salary cap.
One of the biggest moves he can make to get closer to that goal is moving on from cornerback, James Bradberry. Bradberry has been a good player for the Giants, but he doesn’t fit the team’s timeline and is owed a lot of money. Schoen is now paying for the mistakes of Gettleman, and the same could be said when it comes to running back Saquon Barkley, who is entering his fifth season in the NFL but hasn’t been healthy since his rookie campaign.
Bradberry is carrying a cap hit of $21.9 million, which the Giants would love to move on from. They could clear all of that with a trade, but Bradberry is also carrying an $11.7 million dead-cap charge in a trade. Eating that is something that could entice a team to take on Bradberry in a trade.
One team to keep an eye on, according to Bleacher Report, is the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are now flush with draft capital and cap space after trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. Some of those assets could be used to acquire Bradberry, who would assume the No. 1 cornerback role for a defense that saw Charvarius Ward depart for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
Bradberry and Stephon Gilmore are the two players that the Chiefs are reportedly interested in acquiring to address their need at cornerback. If the Giants are willing to pay off some of what Bradberry’s cap hit would be, Kansas City may be able to afford both players, which would turn a weakness on the roster into a strength.
New York is reportedly only looking to get a late-round pick in exchange for Bradberry, a price that the Chiefs can now easily afford. Bleacher Report predicts the Chiefs will land him in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round pick, No. 135, overall.
That is a deal that would benefit both teams. The rebuilding Giants get another crack at selecting a prospect in the draft and save some money in the process. Kansas City, who is still in a position to compete for a Super Bowl, upgrades their secondary in a big way with Bradberry taking over as their No. 1 cornerback.
