Giants trade K Ryan Santoso to Panthers for conditional seventh-rounder

The New York Giants reportedly traded backup kicker Ryan Santoso to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Tom Rock of Newsday first reported the news.

Santoso’s likelihood of making the Giants’ roster was always slim after New York signed veteran kicker Graham Gano to a long-term extension last fall.

But Santoso has delivered a strong training camp and preseason, displaying both strength and accuracy. The Panthers saw an opportunity to fill a need as their kicker Joey Slye has struggled throughout training camp and is coming off of two consecutive mediocre seasons. Slye coincidentally replaced Gano in 2019 in Carolina when Gano was placed on IR.

Because the Giants were likely going to cut Santoso soon anyway, they added substantial value where there wasn’t any by acquiring a seventh-round pick for him.

Of course, seventh-rounders do not always contribute but linebackers Carter Coughlin and Tae Crowder are notable exceptions.

The Giants now have 11 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.