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[UPDATE: The Giants' deal with Shane Vereen is done, according to Mike Garafolo.]
RB Shane Vereen to the Giants. Done deal, source says.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 10, 2015
Here are the terms:
Shane Vereen got $12.35 million over three years from the Giants. Strong $. Came up quickly over a few days.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 10, 2015
The New York Giants will sign former New England Patriots running Shane Vereen, per a report from NFL Network inside Ian Rapoport.
Former #Patriots RB Shane Vereen is expected to sign with the #Giants, I’m told. They needed a versatile back, will likely get it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2015
What this means for the Giants
In the words of baseball announcer Ken 'Hawk' Harrelson, "put it on the board." After near-misses on Devin McCourty and Brandon Graham the Giants finally land a player they targeted at a position of need.
We have been over what Vereen brings to the Giants, but let's review:
Vereen, 25, was a second-round pick by New England in 2011. He caught 47 passes in 2013 and 52 in 2014. He has been mostly a pass-catcher for the Patriots. For his career, he has 907 yards rushing on 217 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per rushing attempt.
"Vereen picked the Super Bowl to give one of his best performances in a Patriots uniform. He's not really a threat in between the tackles, but he might be better suited for a zone-based rushing game, instead of the power run that the Patriots favored this season," said Rich Hill of SB Nation's New England web site, Pats Pulpit. "He has wide receiver ability (check his TD catch against the Jets this season) and is an incredible weapon out of the backfield."
Vereen caught 11 passes in New England's Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Sounds like Shane Vereen's deal w/Giants will be in the 3-year, $12M range. Not 4 years. Guaranteed money will be about $5M, sources say.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) March 10, 2015
Valentine's View: This is an outstanding get for the Giants. Vereen brings a skill set to the Giants that none of their other running backs currently possesses. Adding Vereen's pass-catching ability to Ben McAdoo's offense should make the Giants more explosive in 2015. It will certainly give Eli Manning an addition option.
Your thoughts, Giants fans?