Giants Rumors: Markus Golden 'Motivated' by Offseason Amid Free Agency

New York Giants outside linebacker Markus Golden is reportedly "motivated" heading into the 2020 NFL season after the Giants placed an unrestricted-free-agent tender on him in May and he didn't sign with another team ahead of Wednesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.

That means the Giants hold his exclusive rights through Week 10 of the NFL season, so Golden will have to choose between a holdout and signing his $4.125 million tender. There is some confusion regarding the actual deadline, however:

Art Stapleton of The Record offered further clarification on Golden's unique tender situation:

Golden, 29, had an excellent 2019 season, registering 72 tackles (13 for loss), 10 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown. It was easily his best year since 2016, when he posted 12.5 sacks for the Arizona Cardinals. 

He headed into the offseason looking for a big payday, but the Giants' decision to give him the UFA tender likely depressed his market somewhat. His injury history—he played only 15 games between the 2017-18 season—may have also hurt his chances of landing a hefty deal.

Either way, the Giants will be happy to have him back. 

"He's a great person, he's a hard worker, he's a productive player, so we have a lot of respect for him," head coach Joe Judge said of Golden this offseason, per Dunleavy. "We thought that [the tender] was a situation when it came up and was available to us, it was something we could use. We have an interest in Markus. We've talked to him."

And now he's reportedly motivated to prove he deserves a big-time contract next offseason. Assuming he signs his tender, the Giants will be getting back a hungry Golden at a cheap price.