The New York Giants have filled their need for a veteran off-ball linebacker by signing Tremaine Edmunds, recently released by the Chicago Bears, to a three-year, $36-million contact.
The Giants recently released inside linebacker Bobby Okereke, who was in the final year of a four-year, $40 million contract. Off-ball linebacker Micah McFadden is also a free agent.
What it means for the Giants
Edmunds to the Giants has been speculated about for several weeks, even before the Bears released Edmunds to save $15 million against the salary cap. There was a time when some thought the Giants might need to engineer a player-for-player swap, sending Kayvon Thibodeaux to the Bears, for Edmunds.
In the end, all the Giants needed was cash.
Edmunds always made sense as a target for the Giants. He was a first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2018, when GM Joe Schoen was assistant general manager in Buffalo. The Giants were thought to be interested in Edmunds when he was a free agent in 2023, but he was too expensive and the Giants signed Okereke.
Edmunds has had 100 or more tackles in each of his eight NFL seasons. Pro Football Focus gave him an 81.1 run defense grade in 2025, but only a 52.9 in pass coverage. Pro Football and Sports Network ranked Edmunds at the sixth-best off-ball linebacker in the NFL in 2025, with an Impact Score of 89.3.
The Giants still have work to do at the off-ball linebacker position. They could re-sign McFadden. There is also the possibility of selecting Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 5 in the 2026 NFL Draft, something that should not be off the table after the signing of Edmunds.
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