Show me the thanks!
It doesn’t have the same “Show me the money!” – made famous by the Cuban character Gooding Jr. in “Jerry Maguire” – but that’s how Giants safety Logan Ryan felt when he signed a $ 31 million contract extension for three years on Christmas morning. Ryan played 15 career playoff games and won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans, but …
“I didn’t always feel appreciated by the organization for everything I did that year,” said Ryan on Sunday, after making eight tackles and catching a fumble in the 27-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. “I think the Giants really appreciate me for not just being the player I am on the pitch, but I think they appreciate what I do off the pitch.
“I think they appreciate what I do in the community, I think they appreciate my wife and me – our family, our struggles, our successes – and I think they appreciate the leadership I bring to the team. This feeling of appreciation is what we all seek in life, regardless of money, and this is something that I felt was special here and something that I wanted to continue to feel. And I wanted to give that back to the organization, committing myself here for the time I did. ”
Of course, money doesn’t hurt. Ryan will earn approximately the same $ 10 million average salary per year as a 30-year-old security guard as he received as a 26-year-old cornerback leaving the Patriots to the Titans. It’s the limit he was aiming for at the free agency last season, but he couldn’t get it from any team – before switching agents and settling for half when signing with Giants after the training ground.
Only 11 other NFL safety devices average at least $ 10 million a year.
The Giants didn’t want to lose the New Jersey native – a valuable voice spreading messages from coach Joe Judge in the locker room, the key gear in coordinator Patrick Graham’s disguised secondary schemes and the personification of the franchise values desired by the property. So they risked trading against themselves before seeing the market value established in March.
“It was done very quickly,” said Ryan. “The organization asked me if I wanted to be here. I said yes. I think it was a good deal for both sides. ”
Ryan missed the playoffs only once in his eight-year career, and this is his first time on a team with a losing record since his first season at Rutgers in 2010.
“Rocky road there was not signed for a minute, but I discovered a new belief in myself as a player, as a leader, and I believe the organization believed in me too,” said Ryan. “I would not sign an agreement two weeks before the free agency if I did not believe in this organization. I believe in definite culture. I believe in the work ethic we put in every day. “