James Bradberry is now in Philly, signed by the Eagles to play opposite Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox after being released by the Giants earlier this month.
The reaction from Adoree' Jackson, who played opposite Bradberry last year with Big Blue?
“It hurts…that sucks, you know what I’m saying?” Jackson said during Giants OTAs earlier this week. “It's like going to your rival, like me and (fellow Giants corner) Darnay (Holmes), USC and UCLA. But at the end of the day, still family and still wish him the best and wish him well regardless of everything that's going on.”
Bradberry had seemingly been on the chopping block all off-season, the Giants looking to move him to relieve a big chunk of burden off the salary cap. They weren’t able to find a taker that had a deal to their liking though, so he was simply cut.
Unfortunately, it was the closest in proximity division rival that swooped in with a one-year deal worth $7.25 million, with up to $2.5 million more in possible incentives. Bradberry is a natural fit in Jonathan Gannon’s defensive schemes, and both he and Jackson understood that it was simply a business decision.
“I think you pay attention to that more once you're in it and go through it,” Jackson said of the business of the league. “But at the end of the day, when it happened with JB, I texted the group and told them it's just an opportunity for us as individuals to do what we have to do and step up and go play and do something for ourselves. We have to go out there and compete, and make it hard for them to not want to make those changes.”
Related
“I understand that it’s a business so I was putting my business cap on first and understanding that I’m an asset so I understand that they want something for me, so that was part of the game,” Bradberry also said in his intro presser in Philly. “Personally, didn’t necessarily like it, but it’s a business at the end of the day and I understand that.”
Still, Jackson was devastated by the loss, but looking forward to seeing and competing against his “brother.”
“That's a guy that when I came in, we bounced ideas off each other, different techniques, how he plays, and I gained a brother in the process of knowing him,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, it's like your brother going off to college. He's my brother, he goes somewhere else, but at the same time still being in touch with him and happy for him. As soon as he signed, I was happy for him. I told him we would have the jersey swap since we play them twice a year.”
He’ll have to wait until after Thanksgiving, though, as the Eagles and Giants do not play until Dec. 11. They will meet Week 14 at MetLife Stadium, and then in the Week 18 season finale on Jan. 3 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch