It was no secret that Olivier Vernon was high on the New York Giants‘ wishlist this offseason. The Giants’ pass rush was anemic at best for much of last season, and the team remedied that by getting one of the best pass rushers on the market to team with Jason Pierre-Paul, Damon Harrison and Johnathan Hankins. With Vernon in tow, the Giants’ now features one of the better front fours in football.
Vernon was one of the best 4-3 defensive ends in football in 2015, leading all DEs in quarterback hits with 30 while adding 7.5 sacks and 41 combined tackles, including 11 tackles for loss. He is just 25, and seemed to put it all together in the second half of the season with the Miami Dolphins. He should be a cornerstone on the revamped Giants’ defense for years to come.
The deal comes at a big price, however. Vernon will reportedly earn an average of $17 million per year, a hefty sum for a player who really only has a half season of being a dominant player. However, the Giants are going all-in this offseason and saw Vernon as a building block that will improve over the next couple of years.
The Giants had a lot of issues closing out games in 2015, and their defense was porous on the best of days. That has all changed for now, at least on paper. Assuming Jenkins, Harrison, Pierre-Paul and Vernon stay healthy and everyone lives up to their billing, New York’s defense has the chance to go from one of the worst in football to one of the best in 2016.
