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The New York Giants have been avoiding it, but the reality at kicker is that they may need to look to the future sooner rather than later.
Over the last few seasons, incumbent kicker Graham Gano has dealt with injuries, and at 38 years old, he is unlikely to reverse the clock.
Last season, the team picked up Rutgers kicker Jude McAtamney as an undrafted free agent to give the team a look at a possible future replacement for Gano.
The Derry, Ireland native got his feet wet in Gaelic football, where he was the “free taker” for the Derry U20's team in the Gaelic Athletic Association before coming to the states and kicking for Chowan University, a division two program in North Carolina for a season.
He finished a perfect 47 for 47 on extra points and six for ten on field goals. He also collected 19 touchbacks on 60 kickoffs.
After one season, he transferred to Rutgers, where he assumed the kicking duties for the Scarlet Knights. In 2022, he made his name as the primary field goal kicker for the team.
He made 12 of 18 field goals with a long of 49 yards. In 2023, he was the kickoff specialist, and that is where he shined.
After a 2022 season in which he kicked off 46 times and had 17 touchbacks, he was a touchback weapon in 2023. He kicked off 60 times and planted unreturnable kicks in the endzone 40 times. That was a school record for the Scarlet Knights.
Jude McAtamney, K
Height: 6-2
Weight: 205 lbs.
Exp: 1 year
School: Rutgers
How Acquired: UDFA-'24
2024 in Review
McAtamney came out of the Giants 2024 training camp with a spot on the practice squad. That was a feat within itself because the team already had veteran Graham Gano and Greg Joseph who was signed away from the Lions when Gano went down with injuries.
McAtamney stayed patient and prepared on the practice squad until week nine. Gano was still on injured reserve and Joseph was ruled out with an abdominal injury. That was a chance for him to prove that he belonged in the NFL.
He converted an extra point and connected on a 31-yard field goal. It was his only appearance of the season, but it was enough to have him back this season for 2025.
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NY Giants Contract/Cap Info
McAtamney signed a one year, $840,000 contract with the New York Giants. His contract does not include a signing bonus and it does not have any guaranteed money.
2025 Preview
McAtamney will come into training camp in 2025 trying to prove that the team could feel confident moving on from Graham Gano.
If Gano shows any sign of lacking due to father time or if injuries befall him early, then McAtamney will be right there to slide into his spot.
If Gano does make it through training camp unscathed, then the young protégé will be right there either as a backup or on the practice squad waiting once again for his chance to shine on the field for the Giants.
He is only 25 so he has a ton of time to wait.
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Three potential landing spots for disgruntled Bills RB James Cook
Superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys aren't the only ones involved in a contract dispute. Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook is seeking a pay raise as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract. When asked Sunday why he wasn't practicing, Cook responded: "Business." ESPN insider Adam Schefter noted on Monday the hold-in by Cook, the 2022 second-round pick (63rd overall) who is unhappy with his contract situation. For now, Cook's future with the Bills is in question, so let's look at three teams that should be lighting up general manager Brandon Beane's phone in an attempt to pry him from Buffalo. Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles must continue to add weapons around second-year QB Caleb Williams. Per NFL.com, Chicago ranked 25th in the league in rushing yards (102 per game) and 29th in yards per carry (four) last season, which is not good enough to support a young QB. RB D'Andre Swift (253 carries, 959 yards rushing, 3.8 yards per carry) is a solid option but was inefficient last season in the workhorse role. Cook, who rushed for 1,009 yards last season (4.9 per carry), is an efficient runner who could balance this offense. Chicago has the draft capital and salary-cap space (roughly $13M, per Over The Cap) to get a deal done, particularly if it were to send Swift back the other way. Arizona Cardinals Their offense could reach new heights with a dynamic running back like Cook. James Conner, who rushed for a career-high 1,094 yards last season, has been a solid lead runner in Arizona over the past four years, but the 30-year-old could use help. Conner is a power back. Speedster Cook would bring a different style and create an explosive one-two punch with QB Kyler Murray. Per Over The Cap, Arizona has roughly $35M in cap space and all its own draft picks to get a deal done. It's a move it must consider to compete in the loaded NFC West. Minnesota Vikings What better way is there to aid rookie QB J.J. McCarthy than by trading for a high-end running back? Minnesota has perhaps the best receiving groups in the NFL, so improving the run game could make this offense unstoppable. Running back Aaron Jones will turn 31 on Dec. 2, so Cook — who will turn 26 on Sept. 25 — would be an upgrade. Free-agent RB Dalvin Cook, who has a similar running style to James, his brother, rushed for 1,173 yards with the Vikings in 2022. The Vikings have draft picks to make a solid offer, and while their cap space will get tight in 2026, they can find ways to wiggle their way around it. Perhaps Buffalo would be interested in Jones being a part of the deal to help its backfield in the short term.
Milwaukee Brewers: Nestor Cortes Gone, Standout Rookie 3B Has Emerged as Gem from Would-Be Lose-Lose Trade
Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes was the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ return haul from trading co-closer Devin Williams to the Yankees last December. Eight months later, Cortes is a member of the Padres, logging all of two starts in Milwaukee before injuries sapped his season. Over in New York, Williams lost his closer’s job, got it back, and has had one good month en route to a 5.04 ERA. Without the other part of Milwaukee’s incoming package, then minor-league third baseman Caleb Durbin, the trade would look at this juncture like a lose-lose scenario. Thanks to Durbin, it’s been anything but for the Brewers. Caleb Durbin is Milwaukee Brewers’ diamond in the rough Durbin didn’t make the spring training cut. Instead, the Brewers went with fellow rookie Oliver Dunn as the team’s starting third baseman. Durbin went down to Triple-A Nashville. Dunn didn’t last. After he struggled through the first three weeks of the season, he and Durbin switched places and the latter hasn’t squandered his shot. Following a slow start, he’s turned up the heat at the dish while playing outstanding defense. He’s had an OPS around .800 for over two months now and has his season slashline up to .263/.344/.372. His 2.2 WAR in 86 games played is tied for 10th among all third basemen, making him one of the position’s more valuable players. The Brewers saw plenty of promise in Durbin when they traded for him, coming off a strong season with New York’s Triple-A affiliate. Even though he didn’t, he was a decent candidate to make the team out of spring. The team likely didn’t see a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, which he is. By WAR, he and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin have contributed the same value to their teams, more than any other NL rookies. Cortes, on the other hand, was supposed to be a consistent cog in the rotation. Last year for the Yankees, he made 30 starts and recorded a 3.77 ERA. Instead, he’s still making his way back from injury ahead of start number three this season. In San Diego. Of course, Milwaukee did turn him into outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who will provide depth while Jackson Chourio is hurt. To dump Cortes’ salary, however, they had to attach a prospect, infielder Jorge Quintana. Neither Cortes nor Williams has been what the receiving team hoped. Both will be free agents this offseason. Only the Yankees, however, are at risk of walking away empty-handed. With years of team control remaining, the Brewers have in Durbin what looks to be their third baseman of both the present and future. The trade didn’t deliver according to expectations, but it’s hard to be too upset with the results.
Steelers Trade Package for Micah Parsons Predicted
If the Pittsburgh Steelers are viewing 2025 as a Super Bowl or bust-type season and want to stay true to the "all-in" strategy they've adopted this offseason, perhaps there's one more splash move left on the table. Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons requested a trade late last week, and while the likeliest outcome is that the two sides agree to terms on a record-setting extension that would surpass T.J. Watt's three-year, $123 million contract that he signed with Pittsburgh last month, there's also a world in which things go sideways. The Steelers aren't among the teams who need any additional pass rushers or necessarily would want to exhaust their assets by acquiring one, but there may be some wiggle room left to do so if they think landing Parsons is in the cards. Steelers Wire's Andrew Vazquez drew up a mock trade between Pittsburgh and Dallas that would send edge rusher Alex Highsmith, second-round picks in 2026 and 2027 as well as a 2027 seventh-rounder to the Lone Star State for Parsons. "The price to pay is undoubtedly steep — but there's no question the Steelers would boast an even more devastating pass rush with All-Pro DT Cameron Heyward on the interior and the edge rush duo of Parsons and former 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt," Vasquez wrote. Highsmith is a high-level player who's posted a combined 13 sacks in 28 games over the past two seasons and also logged 14.5 quarterback takedowns with five forced fumbles in 2022. The 28-year-old is under contract through 2027 with no guaranteed salary while carrying cap hits of $18.602 million in 2025, $20.102 million in 2026 and $21.102 million in 2027, per Over the Cap. Even so, a package centering around him and a pair of second-rounders likely wouldn't meet Dallas' asking price for Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro who has never recorded less than 12 sacks in a single season. Paying two edge rushers top-of-the-market money in Watt and Parsons simply isn't realistic for the Steelers. Considering an extension would likely be a necessity in any trade for Parsons with the Cowboys, Pittsburgh can let his standoff with Dallas play out without getting involved.
Former Yankees Standouts Lose Jobs After Trade Deadline
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and in its wake are dozens of roster moves making way for new faces in new places. As a result, several players got their walking papers. The list includes three former New York Yankees contributors. On Friday, the San Diego Padres designated for assignment infielder Tyler Wade and optioned reliever Ron Marinaccio. "Wade was the final roster casualty to accommodate newcomers Freddy Fermin , Ramon Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn," MLB Trade Rumors reported. "This is the second DFA of the season for Wade. He didn’t make the team out of Spring Training and was outrighted off the roster. Wade accepted a minor league assignment and was called back up a couple weeks into the season. " Wade played in 59 games this season, hitting . 206. The 30-year-old played in 90 games last year with the Padres, hitting .217. MLB Trade Rumors reports San Diego will place Wade on waivers. "There’s a decent chance he’ll clear, at which point he’d again have the right to elect free agency," according to the site. "He bypassed that last time around but may feel his path back to a roster spot with the Padres is more cluttered." New York selected Wade in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. The versatile infielder made his major-league debut in 2017 with the Yankees. He played five seasons in the Bronx before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels after the 2021 season. Marianccio, a 30-year-old right-hander from Toms River, N.J., made two appearances this year with the Padres, throwing a total of 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball. The Yankees selected Marinaccio in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He played for New York from 2022 to 2024, posting a 3.22 ERA in 101 appearances. The Yankees waived Marianccio last September. On Saturday, the Chicago Cubs designated for assignment reliever Brooks Kriske. They needed to clear space on the roster for right-hander Michael Soroka, who went to Chicago in a deadline deal with the Washington Nationals. Kriske, a 31-year-old right-hander, threw six shutout innings over four appearances this year for the Cubs. The Yankees selected Kriske in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He debuted in the Bronx in 2020 and spent parts of 2021 with the big-league club. Kriske made a total of 12 appearances for New York with a 15.09 ERA. Yes, you read that right. He gave up 19 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings of work. The Yankees waived Kriske in September of 2021. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! What Yankees Are Getting in David Bednar, Jake Bird, Camilo Doval Former Yankees Outfielder Traded To NL East Contender Yankees' Brian Cashman Wins Deadline War Against Rival GM What Yankees Are Getting in Austin Slater Former Yankees Catcher Traded to World Series Contender
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