Like Victor Cruz, Ramses Barden has spent his entire NFL career playing for the Giants. Unlike Cruz, Barden became an unrestricted free agent in March.
Also unlike Cruz, Barden has re-signed with the Giants, but for roughly an order of magnitude less than the Giants have offered Cruz.
Per a source with knowledge of the contract, Barden’s deal takes advantage of the minimum-salary benefit, which uses a reduced cap charge for veterans with four or more years of service. Barden, a third-round pick in 2009, will receiver a $715,000 salary and a $65,000 signing bonus. By rule, his cap number will be only $620,000.
If Barden has a big year for Big Blue, they Giants won’t be able to re-sign him until he becomes a free agent in 2014.
The Giants once lost defensive lineman Kendrick Clancy that way. He signed a one-year deal via the minimum-salary benefit in 2005, and the Giants couldn’t re-sign him until he hit the market in 2006. The Cardinals signed him before the Giants could do a deal to keep him.