Safety Jabrill Peppers is excited about last week’s trade that sent him to the Giants because it allows him to return to his home state of New Jersey for the next phase of his career.
Peppers will be asked to do more than trade on his status as a local boy made good, of course. Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman called him a key piece to making the Odell Beckham trade happen and he’s part of the plan to replace safety Landon Collins on the Giants defense.
During a Monday conference call, Gettleman was asked if he was concerned about Peppers being under undue pressure given his role and his homecoming.
“I don’t think he feels that pressure,” Gettleman said. “He is just excited to be a Giant. It’s the team he grew up cheering for, this kid’s coming home. I don’t think he feels that pressure, and we certainly aren’t going to put that pressure on him. There is no reason for there to be that kind of pressure on him. He is coming here to be a safety, play football and help the New York Giants win games. It’s that simple.”
Plenty of people have looked at the Giants’ moves this offseason and the makeup of their roster as signs that the team is rebuilding with an eye on trying to win in the future. While that would play into the pressure-free environment Gettleman pitched for Peppers, the G.M. rejected the notion that the Giants are trying to do anything other than win in 2019.