Olivier Vernon to Giants: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Defensive end Olivier Vernon, one of the top free agents on the market, reached an agreement Wednesday with the New York Giants, per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed the five-year, $85 million contract with $52.5 million guaranteed. The Giants announced the deal on Thursday. 

Vernon released a statement on his time with Miami on Friday:

The Miami Dolphins originally placed the transition tag on Vernon, which would have given them the right to match any offer sheet he signed. They pulled it after signing Mario Williams in order to put themselves in line to receive compensation when Vernon landed with another team, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

In turn, Vernon became a standard unrestricted free agent heading into the new league year.

The 25-year-old Miami native, who also played college football at Miami, said after the season that he hoped to stay in his hometown. Alain Poupart of the Dolphins' official website noted the lineman also understood the business aspect of the situation, though.

"As I've said before, I'd love to be here and play for my city, but at the same time, it's all totally up to the guys upstairs (in the Dolphins front office)," Vernon said in January.

Vernon has racked up 196 combined tackles, 29 sacks and three forced fumbles across four seasons with the Dolphins. He had 61 tackles and 7.5 sacks during the 2015 campaign.

Those aren't dominant numbers by any stretch, but finding reliable edge-rushers is tough. The supply doesn't come anywhere close to the demand around the league. Furthermore, Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus likes what he's seen on tape:

It also helps that he should just be hitting his peak seasons.

The Giants' interest didn't come as a surprise. They finished 30th in the NFL last season with just 23 sacks. That lack of consistent pressure on the quarterback was one of the chief reasons they gave up more yards than any other team in 2015.

Vernon wouldn't be a one-man fix to the problem. He's averaged just over seven sacks per season through four years. But it would represent a step in the right direction, and he could push toward a new career high with New York likely to let him loose in every passing situation.

If fellow defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul can return to form in 2016, the outlook for New York's pass rush will improve significantly with Vernon now in the fold.