Former Giants Edge Rusher Golden Retires

AUGUST 9 – GOLDEN GONE – The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran edge rusher Markus Golden during training camp, hoping to add some potency to the unit's depth.

While he figured to compete for a roster spot, having been serviceable on last year’s squad, he has decided to retire. On Friday, the Steelers placed him on the Reserve/Retired List .

Golden, a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, had bounced between the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants for the first eight years of his career, logging three double-digit-sack seasons (2016, 2019, and 2021).

The Giants didn’t have Golden for long – 2019 and half of 2020 – but he made an impact in New York. In 2019, he gave the Giants their first 10-sack season from a linebacker since Lawrence Taylor.

Across 1.5 seasons, Golden found 11.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 33 quarterback hits during his New York tenure.

AUG 8 – JACKSON SIGNS WITH JETS – Veteran running back Deon Jackson spent a single game with the New York Giants in 2023.

On Wednesday, he officially became a member of the city-wide rivalry.

In signing with the New York Jets , Jackson will compete for a spot on the running back depth chart, and potentially a kick returner role, as well.

After rushing 68 times for 236 yards and a score in 2022 with the Indianapolis Colts, he’s bounced around a bit. He spent time with the Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Giants in 2023, however he averaged just 1.1 yards per attempt on 13 carries.

With New York, he had a single carry for two yards, along with nine uneventful special teams snaps.

AUG 7 – OUT ON AIYUK – New York Giants fans can breathe a temporary sigh of relief.

As San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk held out for a lucrative contract extension, his trade market expanded and included several teams. The two favorites, initially, were largely expected to be the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Commanders.

According to Matt Maiocco , the Commanders have taken themselves out of the Aiyuk sweepstakes.

Aiyuk is likely AFC-bound, if he does ultimately leave San Francisco. While the Giants do play the Steelers in Week 8, the idea of facing one of the league’s best pure separators twice each season is nightmare fuel, especially given New York’s inexperienced secondary.

Whether Aiyuk will compete for a Super Bowl in the Bay Area or cash out in the AFC is yet to be seen. However, a deal likely isn’t completed without an extension, taking him out of the Giants’ 2025 plans in free agency.

AUG 6 – BREIDA BACK IN THE BAY – Training camp’s arrival generally means the last of the notable free agents have found homes, the biggest trades of the offseason have been completed, and teams know what they have to work with ahead of the new year.

Still, some roster churning makes its way to August – some of which could have an impact on Sundays.

One such case may be the San Francisco 49ers bringing running back Matt Breida back home. Breida signed there on Monday, per Jeremy Fowler .

The former New York Giants running back spent the first three years of his career in San Francisco before spending a season each with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

After two years with the Giants, logging 371 total rushing yards, he’ll look to bring his speed back to the Bay in a depth role.

AUG 4 – COUGHLIN COACHING – Former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin’s days as the lead man for an organization are certainly over, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lend a helping hand once in a while.

The only problem? To the ire of the New York faithful, he’s not helping the team he won two Super Bowls with.

Coughlin was seen helping Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce earlier this week, per Vegas Sports Today .

He and former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis went over the practice script with Pierce, who has searched for NFL experience ahead of his first full season. In January, it was announced that Coughlin would be a special adviser to Pierce, who played linebacker for Coughlin from 2005-2009.

Pierce was the interim head coach last season before ultimately landing the job after a series of interviews with high-profile candidates failed to inspire as much optimism as Pierce’s hold on the locker room had in the prior months.

AUG 3 – NFC EAST OFFENSIVE LINES – By this point, New York Giants fans have learned not to expect much from their offensive line. Year after year, quarterbacks and running games have been held back by inadequate protection and defensive linemen perpetually in the backfield.

Thus, it was no surprise when The 33rd Team ranked the Giants as the worst offensive line in football.

How does that compare to their NFC East rivals?

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The best offensive line in the division, far and away, is the Philadelphia Eagles, who ranked second in this exercise.

“The Philadelphia Eagles have three elite players in Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, and Jordan Mailata,” Ross Tucker wrote. “Cam Jurgens should be above average in his first year starting in place of Jason Kelce, but right guard is a question mark.”

For the first time in a while, though, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t right on their tail. The era of Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, and Tyron Smith has long been over, but the left tackle departed for greener pastures this offseason, leaving just Martin and guard Tyler Smith as standouts up front. The Cowboys ranked 19th.

Where the New York faithful may have some debate is with the Washington Commanders. At 27th, there’s reason to believe the Giants, after signing Greg Van Roten and presumably demoting Evan Neal, can compete with them and be a below-average unit, rather than one of the worst in the league.