Former Giants First-Round Pick Breaks Silence After Shocking Release

Former New York Giants first-round draft pick and Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram was released unexpectedly on March 6, as the new Jacksonville Jaguars administration elected to go in a different direction.

After news of the cut traveled, Engram eventually posted on X, and he had a strong message for whichever team signs him next.

“It’s all love [Jacksonville],” Engram began, adding: “But they just let a mf dog loose! Excited for what’s next! #BeEazy”

Obviously, the “mf” is short for some explicit language.

Like most NFL athletes, Engram appears motivated by his release, and his third pro franchise could really benefit from that after eight solid seasons split between the Giants and Jaguars.

Evan Engram’s 2024 Campaign Regressed Back to Giants Days After 2 Career Seasons With Jaguars

Engram wasn’t a bad tight end for the Giants, statistically speaking, but he was a disappointing first-round pick. In the end, his best NYG season was his rookie campaign, which yielded 722 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns off of 64 catches.

Even his lone Pro Bowl year with the Giants in 2020 was less impressive, with just 654 receiving yards and 2 total touchdowns.

Following his time with Big Blue, Engram went on to have two career seasons with the Jaguars in 2022 and 2023. Mostly utilized as a short yardage outlet in Jacksonville, the tight end racked up 73 receptions for 766 yards and 4 touchdowns during his first campaign and 114 receptions for 963 yards and another 4 touchdowns in year two (his second career Pro Bowl nod).

Unfortunately, injuries caused Engram to regress back to the mean in 2024.

At age 30, the pass-catching TE only suited up for nine games and fell short of 400 receiving yards for the first time in his professional career. Engram’s yards per game average was down a bit from his initial two seasons in Jacksonville as well and was more similar to a couple of his less spectacular years with the Giants.

Evan Engram Reunion Doesn’t Make Sense for Former Player or Giants

With the G-Men focused on other positions and Engram having more bad memories than good from his playing days in the NYC area, a potential reunion does not really make much sense this time around.

2024 draft pick Theo Johnson is hoping to take the next step in his development in 2025, and he could turn into a younger version of Engram if all goes well.

One might even argue that Johnson’s ceiling is higher at this point in their respective careers, being that the 6-foot-6 prospect just turned 24 years old and Engram is entering his age-31 campaign.

Johnson is coming off of foot surgery, but Engram’s coming off a torn labrum in his shoulder — so, better to bet on the younger athlete when both are recovering from serious injuries.

It will be interesting to see if the Giants add at tight end at all this offseason. After losing Darren Waller to retirement last year, the front office took a minimalist approach at the position, drafting Johnson and bringing in veteran blocking tight end Chris Manhertz (among other minor acquisitions).

Along with former draft pick Daniel Bellinger, Johnson and Manhertz ended up earning the bulk of the snaps last season. But there is room for competition, especially if Johnson suffers any sort of setback in his recovery.