SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 06: Golden Tate #15 of the New York Giants looks on before their game ... [+]
The New York Giants, who according to Over the Cap was projected to have less than $500,000 of cap space available based on a projected $180.5 league-wide salary cap, cleared away a little more than $8.447 million in salary-cap space after releasing receiver Golden Tate and inside linebacker David Mayo Wednesday night.
The pending transactions, as first reported by the NFL Network, are just the first in a series of moves expected to be made by the Giants, who will need at least $19 million in cap space by itself if they have to use the franchise tag on defensive lineman Leonard Williams, their top unrestricted free-agent-to-be.
Tate was signed to a four-year deal worth $37.5 million shortly after the Giants traded away Odell Beckham Jr to the Browns for safety Jabrill Peppers and a pair of draft picks.
Unfortunately, his tenure in New York was not only a rocky one but an unproductive one.
Tate was handed a four-game suspension by the league for a PED violation in his first season as a Giant. In his second season, he ran afoul of head coach Joe Judge after engaging in a “me first” outburst on Monday Night Football that didn’t sit well with the team-first-minded Judge.
That outburst landed Tate a de facto one-week suspension from the head coach, who left the frustrated receiver behind as the team was preparing for a road game against the Washington Football Team.
From a production perspective, Tate, primarily a slot receiver for the Giant whose strengths include gaining yards after the catch, finished his two-year stint with only 84 receptions for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns.
His release frees up $6.147 million while also dumping $4.705 million into the Giants' dead money ledger.
Mayo, primarily an inside linebacker, was initially claimed off waivers from the 49ers shortly after the 2019 season.
A former Panthers draft pick during current Giants general manager Dave Gettleman’s time in Carolina, Mayo played the run well enough to earn a second contract with the team worth $8.4 million with $3.5 million guaranteed over three years.
He tore his meniscus during training camp and missed the first five games of the 2020 season. Mayo, who was more of a consistent contributor on special teams, finished last season with 20 total tackles, including two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble.
Mayo’s removal from the roster will clear $2.3 million. Since he did not receive a signing bonus that would have otherwise prorated over the contract's life, the Giants will not take a dead money cap hit with this transaction.
