In hindsight, James Bradberry's reunion with Dave Gettleman, the general manager who drafted him to the Carolina Panthers, in New York this offseason feels like an inevitability.
However, the Giants' new cornerback told reporters he didn't anticipate joining Big Blue.
"[Gettleman] reached out to my agent," Bradberry said Friday on his introductory conference call. "I didn't even talk to Gettleman. They came out of nowhere to make an offer. I didn't expect them to come and make an offer. He already knew the type of guy I was, and I already knew the type of guy he was. I already knew what type of organization he was trying to build over there in New York. I knew it was nothing but positive."
Bradberry signed with the Giants last week on a three-year, $45 million deal with $32 million guaranteed, making him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league.
A second-round pick in the 2016 draft, Bradberry started all 60 games he played for the Carolina Panthers, racking up eight picks and 47 passes defensed in four seasons.
Gettleman was fired by Carolina ahead of the 2017 season and became New York's GM in 2018. The man who drafted Bradberry watched him from afar and has now brought into East Rutherford to hold down a young secondary, which includes 2019 first-round CB Deandre Baker.
Bradberry, 26, hasn't spent much time as a mentor, teaching a similarly promising Donte Jackson how to watch film in the Panthers corner's rookie year, but is eager to work across from Baker and the rest of New York's defensive backfield.
"What I can bring to the locker room is my overall knowledge of the game, Bradberry said. "I can help the younger guys in the DB room get better. My experience for the most part is what I am going to bring to the game."
