Overview
- Reader agreed Tuesday to a two-year contract worth a reported $12.5 million with incentives up to $15.5 million, including $6.25 million if he plays 17 games in 2026, according to NFL Network.
- New York hosted Reader before dealing Lawrence and stayed in touch afterward, with the veteran now projected as John Harbaugh’s starting nose tackle and primary run defender.
- The move follows depth additions of Shelby Harris and Leki Fotu and a sixth-round pick of Auburn’s Bobby Jamison-Travis as the Giants rebuild the interior after sending Lawrence to Cincinnati for the No. 10 pick.
- Signing after the NFL Draft keeps this deal from counting in the 2027 compensatory-pick formula, which rewards teams that lose more qualifying free agents than they sign.
- Reader started all 32 games for Detroit the past two seasons and was graded 32nd among 127 interior defenders by PFF in 2025, offering stout run defense despite modest pass-rush numbers and a past history of quadriceps injuries.