There are always risks when building through a free agency. There is always a reason for a player to enter the open market. Part of the reason why the three most prominent players that the Giants hired during this cycle were available has to do with their health. Or the lack of it.
Wide receiver Kenny Golladay and cornerback Adoree ‘Jackson are coming out of 2020 seasons shortened by injuries. The Giants checked them and put a lot of money on the table. The latest development with tight end Kyle Rudolph makes it clear that the Giants are, if not rolling the dice, certainly making bets. The three biggest contracts they signed for players outside their organization were for players who lost considerable time and / or were unable to finish the last season on the pitch.
The hip flexor problem that limited Golladay to just five games in 2020 for Lions is well documented. The knee problem that limited Jackson to just three games in 2020 for the Titans is not a source of conjecture. The Giants, however, thought Rudolph was ready to roll when he was offered a $ 12 million two-year contract. The news came on Tuesday that something may not be right with Rudolph, who missed the Vikings’ last four games last season due to a foot injury.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that the foot was not yet healed and that Rudolph needed surgery.
“It was certainly an interesting, unexpected 24 hours,” said Rudolph. “It is a kind of blessing that we can find this problem. ”
The surgery, said Rudolph, will be performed “as soon as possible”, and he hopes to be back with plenty of time to be ready for the start of his first season with the Giants.
“I don’t expect to miss any football,” he said. “I am extremely excited, when we started playing football, to be there with my teammates. ”
While playing for the Vikings last season, Rudolph, 31, injured his foot on December 6 against the Jaguars. He lost the last four games, was released and, after 10 years with the Vikings, agreed with the Giants. Four months after the initial foot injury, he has not yet fully healed, which caused a momentary obstacle in signing the contract – initially scheduled to be on Tuesday. The Giants made no financial adjustments to the agreement. Rudolph will have $ 4.75 million in this year’s salary cap. He receives a $ 4.5 million signing bonus.
“This is 100 percent what happened during the season that made me miss the last four games of the season,” said Rudolph. “Everyone expected it to heal on its own and it didn’t. This needs to be fixed. I am extremely grateful for the Giants’ medical team … and I’m excited to fix it and get over it. ”
The two high-value signings for the Giants played a total of eight games in 2020 and needed to convince their new team – with exams at the Hospital for Special Surgery on their visits – that they were ready to go.
Jackson, 25, injured his knee during a Sept. 11 training session, three days before the Titans’ season debut in Denver. He landed in the injured reserve, was not activated until November 11 and did not play a game until week 15. The Titans were vague about the details of the injury. After the season, it was learned that Jackson was dealing with patellar tendonitis.
In 2019, Jackson failed to finish the season, losing the final four games with a foot problem.
Golladay, 27, suffered a brutal 2020 season. He missed the first two games with a hamstring strain and the last 9 games with a hip flexor.
The injury history cost Golladay (four years, $ 72 million) or Jackson (three years, $ 39 million) nothing, as they both received money at market value.
There is no doubt that the Giants did their due diligence on all three players, in terms of medical examinations. There is also no doubt that Golladay, Jackson and Rudolph are no longer with their former teams, at least in part because of their unavailability last season. The Giants signed contracts worth a total of $ 123 million for three players who lost 28 games in 2020.
There are risks with each signing, especially when the hired players are coming out of significant injuries that have caused a significant loss of time.