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If Markus Golden wants to play in the NFL it 2020, it appears that will have to be with the New York Giants.
Today's 4 p.m. deadline has come and gone - and Markus Golden's rights have returned back to the Giants. pic.twitter.com/FVHqOfffMI
— GiantsWFAN (@giantswfan) July 22, 2020
The Giants confirmed that the deadline for other teams to sign Golden to a free-agent contract passed at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
There had been some confusion over the date when the “May 5 tender,” a rarely used tender the Giants placed on Golden as an unrestricted free agent, took effect. Initially, that was thought to be July 22 — today — at 4 p.m. ET. That was the original date NFL training camps were set to open. With the date of opening pushed back to July 28, it was thought that the other 31 NFL teams would have until then to sign Golden.
Since rookies for the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs have reported for initial rounds of COVID-19 testing that the window for other teams to make Golden a contract offer has expired.
That means that Golden’s rights revert exclusively to the Giants and that he would have to play for them on the one-year tender worth 110 percent of his 2019 salary, meaning $4.125 million for the 2020 season.
Per the NFL Communications web site, the Giants now have exclusive negotiating rights with Golden, who has until the Tuesday following the 10th week of the regular season to sign the tender.
Golden reportedly does not yet plan to sign the tender.
With the deadline passing for OLB Markus Golden to sign with another team, the player does not plan to sign his unrestricted ‘May 5’ tender with the Giants today, per source. The tender works like a franchise tag and he can wait to sign. He’s set to make $4.125 million with NYG.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 22, 2020
Golden had 12.5 sacks for the Arizona Cardinals in 2016, but only 2.5 sacks the next two seasons after suffering a serious knee injury. He had a bounce back season for the Giants in 2020, collecting a team-leading 10.0 sacks after signing a one-year “prove it” deal with the team.
The 29-year-old entered free agency expecting a robust market, but did not find one.
If and when he signs the tender, he will join edge defenders Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines, Kyler Fackrell and rookie Carter Coughlin.