New cornerback James Bradberry “didn’t expect” to end up with New York Giants

The New York Giants made cornerback James Bradberry a centerpiece of their defensive rebuild when they signed him to a three-year, $43.5 million contract ($31.98 million guaranteed). It’s an offer Bradberry said on Friday that he “didn’t expect.”

“They came out of nowhere and made an offer to us,” Bradberry said Friday during a conference call. “I didn’t even expect them to come make an offer.”

Bradberry, drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2016 when Dave Gettleman was GM, said the re-joining Gettleman was a selling point in coming to the Giants.

“I’m familiar with [GM Dave] Gettleman and the culture he’s trying to build in that locker room,” Bradberry said. “I’m looking forward to being part of it.

“He already knew the type of guy I was and I already knew the type of guy he was. I already knew the type of organization he was trying to build. I knew it was nothing but positive.”

Bradberry, 27, in August is the most experienced and accomplished cornerback on the Giants roster.

“He [Gettleman] saw me improve each and every year,” Bradberry said. “In order to improve you’ve got to be able to take knowledge and apply it on the field. That’s what I want to do for the younger guys — I want to give them knowledge and hopefully they can apply it on the field.”

Interestingly, Bradberry did not speak to head coach Joe Judge prior to signing with the Giants. When he did speak with Judge after signing, he said the two didn’t talk much about football.

“We didn’t really talk about football a whole lot,” Bradberry said. “Just life and what’s going on in the world.”