Giants Rumors: Blake Martinez Restructures Contract, Will Return to NY in 2022

Linebacker Blake Martinez will be back with the New York Giants in 2022 after reportedly agreeing to take a pay cut. 

NFL reporter Jordan Schultz first reported Friday that Martinez agreed to restructure his contract. 

Per SNY's Ralph Vacchiano, Martinez's new deal likely includes incentives and will drop his cap hit from its previous mark of $14 million. 

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported earlier this week that Martinez and the Giants were talking about a contract restructure that would keep the six-year veteran with the team. 

This marks the second consecutive year that New York has reworked Martinez's deal to create cap space. His $7 million base salary for 2021 was converted into a signing bonus that cleared $3.5 million against the salary cap. 

Per Spotrac, the Giants had $6.4 million in cap space before restructuring Martinez's contract this offseason. They would have saved $8.5 million if they had decided to release him. 

Martinez's season came to an end in Week 3 when he tore his ACL in the first quarter of a 17-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

The 28-year-old has been a tackling machine throughout his career. He had at least 144 combined tackles in every season from 2017 to '20. He's also been a disruptive pass-rusher with 24 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits and 11 sacks from 2018 to '20. 

Per Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger, Martinez posted a career-high 75.9 grade during the 2020 season. 

Martinez originally signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Giants as a free agent in March 2020. He spent the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers. 

The Giants are entering a new phase with Joe Schoen taking over as general manager and Brian Daboll as head coach. They have a tall task to rebuild a roster with a 4-13 record, but Martinez's track record of success prior to his injury makes him a solid risk worth betting on.