New York Giants release James Bradberry after failing to find trade partner for CB

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants released cornerback James Bradberry on Monday in order to save around $10.1 million against the salary cap this season.

New general manager Joe Schoen was trying to find a trade for Bradberry since before free agency in March but couldn't find anything that worked for all parties involved. Schoen admitted last week he was surprised there wasn't more interest in the team's No. 1 cornerback.

«Yeah, I was,» he said last Wednesday on WFAN Sports Radio. «I thought there would be more interest. There were some teams that showed interest pre-draft, and we had a couple different times there were compensation in place and the contract never worked out. Being the fact that we did have good talks with the other teams and their agents had good talks with teams, sometimes if you're going to renegotiate a contract and couldn't come to an agreement, it is what it is.»

The move for the Giants was more about the money than an indictment on the player. Bradberry, 28, was set to make $13.5 million this season and would have counted as $21.9 million on the Giants' cap. It leaves the Giants thin at cornerback, where the oft-injured Adoree' Jackson is the only veteran with significant starting experience.

The Giants needed the savings in order to sign their draft class and operate throughout the season. They were just $6 million under the cap as of last week, according to the Roster Management System.

Bradberry had $2 million of his $13.4 million base salary guaranteed at the start of the league year.

«Listen, he's a starting corner in the league,» Schoen told WFAN last week. «It's just where we are financially. We still got to sign our draft picks, be able to sign our practice squad and have