The widespread belief is that James Bradberry has played his last snap for the New York Giants. In desperate need of salary cap relief, the Giants likely have little choice but to trade the talented veteran cornerback and take the $12.136 million in salary cap relief that could provide.
GM Joe Schoen, though, said Wednesday that there are “contingency plans” that could keep Bradberry with the team.
“I like the kid. I like the skillset. It’s just the situation we’re in from a financial standpoint. It is what it is. But, there are ways we can still make it work and James can be here,” Schoen said.
“People say why don’t you cut him or trade him or whatever, then there’s a huge void. We’re going to play it out, see how the draft goes and see what the roster looks like, and there’s still contingency plans where we can keep James on the roster.”
Those contingency plans likely mean restructuring Bradberry’s contract, adding years to lessen the immediate cap hit. That is something Schoen said previously he would only do as a “last resort,” and that circumstances already forced the team to do with cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
Schoen said he has gotten calls on Bradberry, who he said is “a great person. Good player.”
“I’ve talked to James. He can still play in this league. He’s still a starting corner,” Schoen said. “There are contingency plans where he can still be a New York Giant.”
Still, the likelihood remains that he won’t be.