APAt first regarded by many (including me) as a surprise, the Giants’ decision to put tight end Jake Ballard on waivers shouldn’t have been.
Because Ballard has fewer than four years of service, the rules require him to be exposed to waivers before being sent to injured reserve, if the move comes at any point before the initial roster cuts from 90 to 80 players.
Though the Giants could have placed Ballard on the Physically Unable to Perform list at the outset of training camp, he would have continued to consume one of the team’s roster spots. Placing him on injured reserve was the only way to get him off the active roster.
And waiving him first is the only way to put him on injured reserve, since the league wants to ensure that healthy players aren’t stashed on IR. (In theory, if Ballard were healthy, someone else would be inclined to claim his contract.)
That’s why Ballard, who definitely isn’t healthy after tearing an ACL in the Super Bowl, doesn’t have a problem with the move. He’ll get his full salary of $540,000 in 2012, and he’ll likely be back with the Giants in 2013.
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No kidding. Do you really not understand what waived/injured means? The interesting question is why they bothered since, due to this year’s 90-man roster limits, players on IR still count.
Jake is waiving back to the Giants from IR. Just so they don’t forget about him.
Classy NY Giants..
Except he’s valuable enough to be claimed by another team and kept on their roster till they can put him directly on IR.
Why doesn’t some team claim him if he’s only making 540K, especially with the 10 extra roster spots?
540k to rehab? Not a bad gig, hopefully he comes back healthy in 2013.
I was thinking that was more than a little mean after the guy got injured late on one season that would last into the next and they cut him? I had all kind of workds for the Giants management. Glad it is cleared up.
Now that the Patriots have picked him up off waivers, I’m sure they are thinking that plan to save one lousy roster spot for some scrub that will never make the team.