By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)
Ahmad Bradshaw’s New York Giants tenure officially ended today as he agreed to a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported. Bradshaw will receive a $250,000 signing bonus, $650,000 in per-game roster bonus and $1.1 million in base salary according to Pro Football Talk's source. The former Giants running back had an official meeting with the team this past Thursday and had been working out a contract ever since.
Bradshaw was one of a number of Giants veterans who were released this season because of salary-cap issues that needed fixing and to infuse some youth in the Giants roster.
The 27-year old Bradshaw will at worst will provide depth in the Colts backfield if not a starting running back. The main competition for Bradshaw will be former first-round pick and injury-riddled incumbent starter Donald Brown, second-year player Vick Ballard who impressed as a rookie and third-year player Delone Carter, who has struggled with injuries and fumbles.
Bradshaw is the most complete player of the bunch as he far exceeds the experience of any player the Colts currently have in their backfield. He will help protect Colts’ Quarterback Andrew Luck also as Bradshaw is a premier pass protection back in the NFL. Luck was sacked 41 times last season and hit on numerous more occasions, a number the Colts brass would like to see come down; that's something that should happen with Bradshaw in the fold.
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| Al Bello/Getty Images |
Throughout his tenure with the Giants, Bradshaw battled multiple injuries, most often to his ankles and feet. When he was on the field, there were not many players that produced like he did. Since entering the league in 2007, only three running backs with at least 900 carries averaged more yards-per-rush than Bradshaw’s 4.6; they were Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson at 5.05, Carolina Panthers’ DeAngelo Williams at 5.04 and Tennessee Titans’ Chris Johnson at 4.71.
In sevens season with the Giants, Bradshaw tallied 4,232 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns in 84 games; 33 of those games were starts. Bradshaw was a part of the Giants two most recent Super Bowl victories as well, scoring the game winning touchdown two seasons ago against the Patriots. Bradshaw was also key in starting the Giants 2008 Super Bowl run, putting forth an outstanding performance in Buffalo against the Bills to help seal a Giants playoff berth that season as a rookie.
Bradshaw showed improvement every season he was on the Giants outside of an injury-plagued 2011 campaign. He is yet another running back that Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin cured a fumbling problem for.
Bradshaw will finish his Giants career the sixth on the team's all-time rushing list and will be remembered for the passion and fire he brought to the games every Sunday for the Giants the past seven seasons. It will not be easy shoes to fill, but the task will be bestowed upon the shoulders of electrifying second-year running back David Wilson.
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