The New York Giants have released veteran linebackers Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin on Wednesday, per multiple reports.
Removing them from the roster frees up vital cap space for a rebuilding Giants team that has multiple needs to address this offseason.
Ogletree had two years left on his Giants contract and was owed $10 million in 2020 while Martin was owed $4.2 million.
Getting both their deals off the books adds $12.45 million in cap space for the Giants.
Acquiring Ogletree before the start of the 2018 season was one of general manager Dave Gettleman’s first big moves as Giants general manager. He sent a fourth and sixth-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams for the veteran, who didn’t fully live up to expectations.
In two seasons with the team, the 28-year-old recorded 173 total tackles with two sacks and six interceptions as the anchor of a Giants defense that struggled mightily.
The Giants defense ranked 23rd and 30th in each of Ogletree’s two seasons as one of the defensive captains.
Martin also failed to generate much success on the outside, posting just 1.5 sacks in 21 combined games over the past two seasons. The 28-year-old missed nine games in 2019 because of a knee injury and had just nine total tackles in those five games played.
Big Blue now has approximately $72.26 million in cap space after moving on from Ogletree and Martin, per Over The Cap.
While the Giants can address a major need at linebacker by choosing Clemson standout Isaiah Simmons with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft this April, an abundance of cap space that could grow even more in the coming weeks will allow Gettleman to spend some big bucks on true difference-makers.
