Brandon Marshall Signs With The Giants, And It's Good For All Involved

Brandon Marshall is staying in North Jersey. Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin this morning reported that Marshall, the recently released but still-more-than-able wide receiver, has agreed move his stuff some 30 miles east by signing with the Giants. Which means Eli Manning now has Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Marshall to work with.

The move is not surprising. Marshall lives in New York City and has made no secret of his love for the place. He’s been setting himself up nicely in recent years for post-football work in television, and landing with the Giants will likely allow him to continue to record Inside the NFL on his in-season off day. [UPDATE: Maybe not.]

Terms were reported at two years, $12 million, but it will be interesting to see what kind of guarantee Marshall got. Marshall turns 33 on March 23, and he was due to make a non-guaranteed $7.5 million this season with the Jets, who cut him last week as part of their Great Veteran Purge.

Marshall had 59 catches for 788 yards—his lowest totals since his rookie season—and just three touchdowns in 2016. But the Jets were notoriously plagued with quarterback problems. The Giants will be Marshall’s fifth team in 12 seasons, but make no mistake: He can still play, and he’s more versatile than Victor Cruz. He’s a big, aggressive receiver who ought to draw coverages and mesh well in a Giants offense that can play him outside or in the slot. Eli, the burden’s now on you, buddy.