New York Giants Cut Golden Tate and David Mayo

Golden Tate – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS CUT GOLDEN TATE AND DAVID MAYO…
Multiple media outlets are reporting that the New York Giants have cut wide receiver Golden Tate and inside linebacker David Mayo. The two moves created about $8.4 million in cap space for the team.

Tate had two years remaining on his 4-year, $37.5 million contract that he signed with the team in 2019 and was scheduled to make $8,475,000 in salary in 2021 and count $10.8 million against the 2021 salary cap. By cutting him the Giants created $6.14 million in cap space by took a $4.7 million cap hit in dead money.

Mayo had two years remaining on his 3-year, $8.4 million contract that he signed last offseason and was scheduled to make $2,250,000 in salary in 2021. The team created $2.3 million in cap space by cutting him with no dead money.

The 2021 salary cap has not officially been set yet but is expected to be around $180 million.

The 5’10”, 197-pound Tate was originally drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He has spent time with the Seahawks (2010-2013), Detroit Lions (2014-2018), and Philadelphia Eagles (2018). He made the Pro Bowl in 2014. The Giants signed Tate as an unrestricted free agent from the Eagles in March 2019. In his first season with the Giants, Tate missed five games (four due to suspension and one due to a concussion). The play of Tate really fell off a cliff in 2020. He missed three games to various leg injuries and was benched another game for disciplinary reasons. Yet despite playing in one more game than he did in 2019, Tate’s reception figures fell from 49 to 35, his yardage figures fell from 676 to 388, and his touchdown figures fell from six to two.

The 6’2”, 240-pound Mayo was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. After four seasons in Carolina, Mayo signed with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2019. The Giants signed Mayo in September 2019 after he was cut by the 49ers. He surprisingly ended up playing in all 16 games with 13 starts, playing in 57 percent of all defensive snaps, and finishing with 82 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 pass defenses. The Giants placed David Mayo on Injured Reserve in early September 2020 with a torn meniscus in his left knee that required surgery. He was activated from Injured Reserve in mid-October. Mayo ended up playing in 11 games with two starts (18 percent of all defensive snaps). He was credited with 29 tackles, two tackles for losses, and one forced fumble.