Graham Gano - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Activate K Graham Gano

November 9th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

Graham Gano will be available to the Giants in Week 10. The veteran kicker was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, per a team announcement.

Gano has been out since he injured his hamstring on the opening kickoff of New York’s Week 2 game. The team operated without a healthy kicker for the rest of that contest, then turned to veteran Greg Joseph with Gano being moved to IR. Once Joseph suffered an injury of his own, the Giants relied on Jude McAtamney in his NFL debut last week.

The former Gaelic footballer converted his lone field goal try and connected on his only extra point attempt as well. While McAtameny also recorded four touchbacks on five kickoffs, the Giants will of course prefer to keep him on the practice squad with Gano back in the fold. The latter was limited to eight games by a knee injury last year, so this season’s missed time has become increasingly notable for team and player. Both parties will hope Gano can remain healthy through the remainder of the campaign.

The 37-year-old has generally been a consistent producer in the kicking game for the Giants since his arrival in 2020. Gano only connected on 11 of his 17 field goal tries last year before undergoing season-ending surgery, a stark contrast to his accuracy in his previous New York campaigns. Returning to his previous form would be welcomed by Gano and the Giants, a team averaging a league-low 15.4 points per game.

The Florida State product landed an extension last September, and he is on the books through 2026 as a result. This season is the last one of that pact which includes guaranteed salary, and the team would see cap savings by moving on as early as this spring. Gano’s performance beginning tomorrow in Munich will go a long way in ensuring his Giants future.

Giants Designate K Graham Gano For Return

November 6th, 2024 at 11:53am CST by Sam Robinson

Graham Gano needed an IR stint for a second straight season, as the Giants have not seen their September 2023 extension result in much game work from their veteran kicker. Graham has missed seven games this season, coming after he missed nine in 2023.

The Giants do have some good news at kicker, however, having designated Gano for return from IR on Wednesday. Gano has been out since suffering a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff in the Giants’ Week 2 loss to the Commanders. Gano had come into that game with a groin injury as well, and his injury cost the Giants in a winnable matchup over a Washington team that has since soared to a 7-2 record.

Last season, Gano headed to IR because of a knee injury that required surgery. He missed the rest of the season. While the 36-year-old specialist’s future in New York is certainly in question considering his sudden unreliability, the Giants should be expected to have their kicker back soon. Gano has 21 days to be activated.

New York placing fill-in Greg Joseph on IR last week provides a decent indication Gano is moving toward returning, though the team’s bye week comes after its Week 10 Germany trip. The Giants also made an interesting kicker transaction, elevating Jude McAtamney — a Gaelic football player from North Ireland — to their active roster. McAtamney went 1 of 1 on field goals and extra points in the Giants’ rematch with the Commanders in Week 9. Because he was a gameday elevation, McAtamney is back on Big Blue’s practice squad.

Gano signed a three-year, $16.5MM deal that came with $11.34MM guaranteed at signing. Gano had stabilized the Giants’ kicker situation earlier this decade, coming over from the Panthers and settling in as New York’s kicker in 2020. A full-season 2019 absence preceded Gano’s move to the Big Apple, however, and injuries figure to make him a cut candidate in 2025. The Giants would save $4.5MM by releasing the experienced leg next year. But Gano is poised to suit up again for the 2-7 Giants during this season’s second half.

Giants Work Out Four Kickers, To Add Greg Joseph Off Lions’ Practice Squad

September 17th, 2024 at 2:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Graham Gano‘s injury changed the Giants’ gameday procedure, costing them dearly in a narrow loss to the Commanders. After not attempting any extra points once Gano went down, the Giants will make their expected addition.

With Gano set to miss at least four games, New York worked out four kickers. The team, however, will take another course. The Giants are signing Greg Joseph off the Lions’ practice squad, per his agency. The team must keep Joseph on its 53-man roster for at least three weeks due to poaching him off another team’s P-squad. Gano is now on IR, per a Giants announcement.

The Giants initially attempted a free agency path here, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicating the team worked out Zane Gonzalez, Randy Bullock, Riley Patterson and Tanner Brown. Instead, it will be Joseph, who will head to team No. 3 this year. Joseph signed with the Packers early this offseason but did not make their 53-man roster, joining the Lions’ practice squad as Jake Bates insurance. But an immediate opportunity will come his way in New York.

Joseph, 30, spent the past three seasons as the Vikings’ kicker. He drilled a 61-yard game-winning field goal to beat the Giants in Week 16 of the 2022 season. Like Gano, who made a 63-yarder to beat the Giants as a Panther in 2018, Joseph will make his way to the NFC’s New York franchise.

Joseph made 86.8% of his field goals in 2021 but did not clear the 80% barrier in either of the past two seasons. He made 80% of his tries last season, missing three from between 40 and 49 yards, and saw the Vikings take a different route this year.

As for Gano, this is the second time he has landed on IR in as many seasons. Gano has suffered two injuries since the Giants gave him a three-year, $16.5MM extension ($11.34MM guaranteed) in September 2023. Gano, 37, missed nine games last season. The Giants will hope to have their regular specialist back from his hamstring injury this season, but they will need to use an IR activation to make that happen.

Bullock served as the Giants’ Gano replacement in six games last season, while Patterson could not secure a spot as the Commanders’ kicker in the preseason. (Gonzalez has not kicked since the 2021 season.) The Commanders, who settled on Austin Seibert as their latest kicker, became the first NFL team to win a game despite scoring zero touchdowns to their opponent’s three.

Giants’ Graham Gano Facing Multi-Week Absence

September 16th, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Graham Gano was added to the Giants’ injury report on Saturday with a groin issue. The veteran kicker then suffered a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff of New York’s Week 2 loss, and the latter ailment has him set to miss time.

When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Brian Daboll said Gano will be sidelined for “a few weeks” (h/t ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). Daboll added the team will host free agent workouts to evaluate options, while Jude McAtamney is currently in place on the practice squad. This marks the second consecutive season in which Gano has suffered an injury which requires a multi-week absence.

The 37-year-old was limited to eight games in 2023 due to a knee injury which required surgery and landed him on injured reserve. This latest ailment altered New York’s approach to Sunday’s game. Punter Jamie Gillan attempted an extra point after the team’s first touchdown but missed. The Giants then unsuccessfully attempted a two-point conversion after their other two scores, and were stopped on a fourth-and-four while within field range (under normal circumstances) late in the fourth quarter.

New York made history by scoring three touchdowns in a contest while not allowing any but still losing in regulation time. Missing Gano played a role in that, and replacing him during the coming days will be an obvious priority. With roughly $5.8MM in cap space, the team should be able to add a free agent kicker relatively easily. McAtamney does not have any regular season experience, so it would come as no surprise if a veteran option were to be added in short order.

Randy Bullock and Mason Crosby handled kicking duties for the Giants last season after Gano went down. Both are on the open market at the moment, as is Cade York (who spent time on New York’s practice squad in 2023 but did not see any game action). York briefly returned to the Browns before being traded to the Commanders. He was let go in favor of Austin Seibert, however, and it was the latter who went seven-for-seven on field goals yesterday to help Washington win.

Placing Gano on injured reserve would ensure at least a four-week absence. Keeping him on the active roster while injured for a shorter period will be an option, albeit an usual route given that teams typically only keep one available kicker in the fold at any given time. While a decision on that front is made, the Giants will once again look for a midseason replacement.

Giants Sign Randy Bullock, Place Graham Gano On IR; Cade York Added From Titans’ Practice Squad

November 3rd, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 3: In addition to Bullock, the Giants have signed Cade York, head coach Brian Daboll announced on Friday. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, the pair will have a brief competition to determine the team’s kicker in Week 9. York was drafted in the fourth round last year by the Browns, but his struggles in training camp and the preseason this summer led to Cleveland waiving him. The 22-year-old quickly joined the Titans’ practice squad, but this move to New York’s active roster will give him the opportunity to win a full-time gig in Gano’s absence.

NOVEMBER 2: Graham Gano has given the Giants some kicker stability during the 2020s, but the team will need to pivot to another option soon. Gano’s knee injury will sideline him for a while.

The recently extended kicker is set to undergo knee surgery and will land on IR, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds the team will replace Gano with Randy Bullock. The veteran kicker joined Mason Crosby, Robbie Gould and Matthew Wright in working out for the Giants on Thursday, per ex-Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes.

Bullock, whom ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes will initially join the Giants’ practice squad, has not kicked in a game this season. Amid a February salary purge, the Titans released Bullock. But he will bring 10 years’ experience to the Giants. Bullock, 33, kicked for the Titans for the past two seasons. While Bullock has bounced around the league, the Thursday signing will mark a reunion. During his 2010s travels, Bullock stopped through New York in 2016, kicking in one game with the Giants.

Gano signed a three-year, $16.5MM Giants extension in September; the 36-year-old specialist has been the Giants’ kicker since 2020. Gano acknowledged recently he will need surgery at some point. Rather than playing through this issue any longer, Gano will go under the knife soon.

The veteran kicker is coming off a two-miss performance in an ugly Giants loss to the Giants; the second of those misses came from 35 yards out. Gano, who also missed a 47-yarder in Week 8, could have effectively sealed a Giants win by making the shorter try late in the fourth quarter. The Jets instead rallied back to tie the game and force overtime, winning in the extra period. The former Washington and Carolina kicker had hoped to finish out the season and then undergo surgery, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, but the Jets outing appears to have changed plans.

On the season, Gano is just 11-for-17. The Giants guaranteed the 15th-year veteran $11.34MM at signing, providing an opportunity for the incumbent to reclaim his job once recovered. For now, Bullock will receive another chance. The former Texans fifth-round pick has kicked for six teams, also suiting up for the Bengals, Steelers and Jets during his run. The Giants stopover, which came in Week 1 of the 2016 season when Josh Brown served a one-game suspension, occurred as Bullock bounced around during the 2016 and ’17 seasons. Beyond those two slates, he served as a steady option in Houston, Cincinnati and Tennessee.

Bullock finished his two Titans seasons with 84% and 85% field goal accuracy rates. He is not necessarily known for prolific long-range success, having not made more than three 50-plus-yard field goals in a season since 2014. But the Giants preferred Bullock to Wright and the more experienced options they brought in Thursday.

Giants Notes: Gano, Jackson, Ryan, Workouts

September 22nd, 2023 at 11:07am CST by Adam La Rose

Graham Gano is underway in his fourth Giants campaign. His play so far this season (3-for-5 on field goal tries) has not lived up to his previous success, but past performances led to an extension before the campaign began.

Further details on the 36-year-old’s deal are in, courtesy of The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Gano received a $5MM signing bonus, and his base salaries this season ($1.25MM) and next ($3.1MM) are guaranteed in full. He will also see a $2MM roster bonus in 2024, which is guaranteed at signing. Gano’s cap hit fell to $4.3MM in 2023, meaning it created a bit of breathing space for this season. His cap charges will rise to $7.2MM in 2024, then $5.8MM and $5.7MM the two years after that. The team is banking on continued high-level play deep into Gano’s career given their latest investment in him.

Here are some other Giants notes:

Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson has seen plenty of time in the slot this season, following through on the Giants’ plans of moving him inside to allow rookies Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins to log starting roles on the perimeter right away. That alignment was foreshadowed in the summer, but it was not something thought of exclusively in 2023. The Giants first considered playing Jackson as their nickel corner last year, as detailed by Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, but that plan had to be scrapped due to his knee injury. The 28-year-old’s play on the inside will go a long way in determining his free agent value in the spring, since he is playing out the final year of his contract.
A resolution has emerged in the Logan Ryan injury grievance, which was filed last April. The veteran defensive back contested the $3MM which was guaranteed for injury in his 2022 compensation should have been paid out owing to his postseason finger surgery. He ultimately received $2.7MM of that total, Duggan notes. The Giants carried a cap charge of $1.2MM last season with the case remaining unresolved at the time; they will be on the hook for $1.5MM in 2023.
New York hosted a group of wideouts on free agent visits recently, and return specialist Andre Roberts was among them, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The 35-year-old spent last season in Carolina, making three appearances. His limited time has no doubt hindered the three-time Pro Bowler’s ability to find a new home for what would be a 13th season played in the NFL. Fifth-round rookie Eric Gray has handled both kick and punt return duties for the Giants so far, recording 16 yards on his lone kick return and eight yards per runback on punts.
In addition to Roberts, the Giants brought in James Proche for an audition, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The former sixth-rounder was among the Ravens’ final roster cuts after spending his first three seasons with the team. Proche found himself as the odd man out of Baltimore’s new-look receiving corps, leaving him in search of a new opportunity. He has also worked out for the Jets, but as is the case with his Giants visit, that endeavor has yet to produce a contract offer.

Giants, K Graham Gano Agree On Extension

September 8th, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Graham Gano‘s New York stay will extend beyond this season. The veteran kicker signed an extension to stay with the Giants, who now have him under contract through 2026.

The Giants will bet on Gano holding his form into his late 30s, as he is going into his age-36 season. It is a $16.5MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets, adding the agreement also includes $11.3MM fully guaranteed. An additional $2MM in injury guarantees are also part of this deal. Gano had been attached to a three-year, $14MM pact.

Formerly with Washington and Carolina, Gano has been the Giants’ kicker since 2020. Though, this marks the experienced specialist’s third contract with the Giants. After signing him to a one-year deal in 2020, Big Blue extended him during his first season with the team. Gano has now signed extensions with both the Dave Gettleman and Joe Schoen regimes. Considering his performance and Schoen’s willingness to bet on Gettleman-era acquisitions, this latest agreement is unsurprising.

Gano made 90.6% of his field goal tries last season and connected on 96.7% of them in his first year with the Giants. Even in an unideal kicking environment, Gano hit almost 88% of his tries in 2021. The Giants gave Gano the opportunity to relaunch his career after a missed 2019. Gano, who once hit a 63-yard game-winner to beat the Giants in 2018, suffered a fractured femur late in the 2018 season. Carolina doctors are believed to have initially misdiagnosed that injury. The malady led to him missing all of the 2019 campaign as well. Matt Rhule‘s 2020 Carolina arrival led to Gano being cut, and he soon found a new home in New York.

With Mason Crosby, Robbie Gould and Ryan Succop not on rosters, Gano enters this season as the NFL’s third-oldest active kicker. Only Matt Prater (39) and Nick Folk (37) surpass him in that category. But Gano connected on 8 of 9 attempts from 50-plus yards last season; he was a combined 12-for-16 from 50-plus from 2020-21. It is understandable the Giants were interested in extending this partnership.

This marks Schoen’s fourth major agreement with a Gettleman-era acquisition this year. It follows the Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas re-ups. While Gano’s checks in on a lower-profile level, this contract will give him an opportunity to approach the 20-season mark.

Giants Release S Andrew Adams

August 26th, 2022 at 10:12am CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to training camp, the Giants reunited with Andrew Adams. But the former New York safety starter will not be part of the team’s 53-man roster next week. The Giants released Adams on Friday.

The six-year veteran’s exit made room for kicker Ryan Santoso, who is now back on the Giants’ 80-man roster. Ahead of their final preseason game, the Giants also signed wide receiver Travis Toivonen.

Graham Gano is in place as the Giants’ kicker, but he suffered a concussion in the team’s second preseason game. Santoso, whom the Jaguars waived earlier this week, represents insurance. This is a return trip for Santoso, who was with the Giants during the 2020 season and most of the 2021 offseason. The team traded the young kicker to the Panthers just before last season. Santoso, who turns 27 today, has bounced around since that trade, playing in one Panthers game but also moving to the Lions, Titans, Rams and Jaguars.

Adams, who caught on with Big Blue initially as a UDFA in 2016, represented insurance as well. The Giants released Logan Ryan and did not re-sign Jabrill Peppers, who is now with the Patriots. But Adams could not hold off some of the team’s younger safeties during training camp. Adams, 29, started three games for the Buccaneers last season, will head straight to free agency as a vested vet.

The former 17-game Giants starter (from 2016-17) and four-year Bucs contributor lost out to the likes of UDFA Trenton Thompson, whom ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes (via Twitter) has impressed the Giants, and fourth-round pick Dane Belton. Despite the latter suffering a broken collarbone early in camp, Raanan adds the Iowa product is not expected to be out too much longer.

Restructured Deals: Packers, Broncos, Bills, Patriots, Giants

March 21st, 2022 at 10:29pm CST by Ben Levine

As free agency continues, teams will keep finding ways to open up additional cap. We’ve had a handful of reworked contracts in recent days, which we’ve compiled below:

The Packers opened $10.15MM in cap space by restructuring the contracts of wideout Randall Cobb (which was previously reported) and safety Adrian Amos, per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). ESPN’s Rob Demovsky tweets that Green Bay turned $5.88MM of Amos’ $7MM base salary into a signing bonus and added four void years.
The Broncos opened up some space via a pair of restructured deals. Wideout Tim Patrick converted $6.9MM of his roster bonus into a signing bonus, creating around $4.6MM in cap space, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter). The Broncos also converted receiver Courtland Sutton‘s $10.5MM roster bonus into a signing bonus, saving $7.875MM in 2022 cap space, per Klis (on Twitter).
The Panthers converted $11.765MM of wideout Robby Anderson’s 2022 pay into a signing bonus, creating $5.88MM in cap space, per Yates (on Twitter). Staying in the NFC, Yates also tweets that the Eagles converted $14.88MM of cornerback Darius Slay’s salary into a signing bonus, creating $11.90MM in 2022 cap space.
The Giants converted $2.63MM of kicker Graham Gano’s salary into a bonus, creating $1.753MM in cap space, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter). The team also added a void year to the contract, something GM Joe Schoen was trying to avoid (per Raanan).
After getting traded to the Bills, quarterback Case Keenum agreed to rework his contract. Per Yates (on Twitter), Keenum reduced his base salary to $3.5MM. Another AFC East team, the Patriots, also got into the game, reducing defensive end Henry Anderson‘s base salary from $2.5MM to $1.25MM (per Yates).
Yates passes along three more restructures (on Twitter): the Vikings opened $6MM in cap space by reworking safety Harrison Smith‘s contract, the Bills opened $5.172MM via linebacker Matt Milano‘s contract, and the Titans opened $6.45MM via linebacker Zach Cunningham‘s contract.

Panthers Misdiagnosed K Gano In 2018

December 11th, 2021 at 11:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Graham Gano has been one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL over the course of his twelve-year career, a career that could’ve been cut short due to a misdiagnosed injury by Panthers’ team doctors in 2018, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported in October.

Gano spent eight years in Carolina with his final year being spent on injured reserve. In seven seasons of play, Gano converted 165 of 193 attempted field goals (85.5%) en route to becoming second on the list of the franchise’s all-time leading scorers with 742 points. The former-Panther’s last active season with the team was cut short when team doctors diagnosed him with a left leg injury. According to Gano, the medical staffers misdiagnosed the injury as tendinitis and a bone bruise when he had actually sustained a fractured left femur. Gano’s second opinion from New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery led to a 2019 knee surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2019 season, but potentially prevented a more dangerous injury from ending his career had he returned without fixing the actual damage to his leg.

Upon returning to health in the 2020 offseason, Gano was cut by the new staff led by current Panthers’ head coach Matt Rhule before he even got a chance to kick for them. Carolina’s loss was New York’s gain, as the Giants quickly picked up the veteran kicker and have seen him return to form converting 91.8% of his attempted field goals. Gano’s success in New York quickly earned him a new contract that extended him through 2023 with the second highest average salary in the league for kickers.

Dr. Pat Connor and trainer Ryan Vermillion, the head team physician and head athletic trainer respectively for Carolina in that 2018 NFL season, are no longer with the organization. Vermillion ended up in Washington, following head coach Ron Rivera from Carolina, where he is now under investigation for alleged distribution of prescription drugs by the Drug Enforcement Administration.