C+
A+
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Quick Reaction
Sentiment Analysis
A+
Very Positive
NegativeMixedPositive
A reasonable veteran stopgap, but hardly an exciting replacement for the irreplaceable Dexter Lawrence. All five headlines frame this as a necessity move, not a splash signing. The $12.5M two-year deal is team-friendly, suggesting Reader's value is limited after recent injury concerns. Fans are underwhelmed, viewing Reader as a downgrade from Lawrence's dominant interior presence. Expect a serviceable but unspectacular run-stopper who keeps the Giants' defensive line functional, nothing more.
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Contract Value Index (CVI)
C+
Fair Value
OverpayFair ValueGreat Value
DJ Reader's two-year, $12.5M deal with the Giants earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), landing in fair-deal territory with enough question marks to keep it from climbing higher. At $6.25M AAV, the Giants are paying a functional, above-average run-stopper rates that reflect his veteran status rather than elite production — a reasonable ask for a player who fills a specific schematic need but doesn't move the needle as a pass-rush difference-maker. The recent coverage framing Reader as a "positionless" piece in a new defensive scheme is intriguing, and if the Giants are building a system that maximizes his versatility along the interior, the value proposition improves meaningfully. That said, the CVI stays modest because run-stopping specialists at this price point carry real opportunity cost — $6.25M AAV is real cap money for a player whose impact will likely show up in run-defense grades and scheme alignment rather than the stat sheet. The absence of guaranteed money data makes the contract structure difficult to fully assess, but the two-year term is appropriate given where Reader likely sits on his career arc — it's a commitment that doesn't handcuff the Giants long-term if the scheme experiment doesn't pan out. This reads as a measured offseason move by a front office trying to address a genuine interior void, and with the regular season still months away, there's runway to see how Reader integrates before anyone calls it a win or a miss.
Contract Details
- Length
- 2 years
- Total Value
- $12.5M
- AAV
- $6.3M
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About this NFL transaction
The New York Giants signed DJ Reader on May 7, 2026. FanVerdicts grades every reported NFL transaction across three dimensions independently: Contract Value Index measures the deal's value relative to expected production, Sentiment measures media and fan reaction, and Fan Verdict aggregates community voting on this page. Current grades for this move: Contract Value Index C+, Sentiment A+, Fan Verdict pending.
Contract details below show the years, total value, average annual value, and guaranteed money the Contract Value Index grade is computed against. The grade does not change once written — it reflects market expectations at the moment of signing, recomputed only if the contract is restructured.
Want broader context? The NFL hub has the league-wide transaction feed and team rankings. The NFL transactions feed lists every reported move across the league with the same three-grade methodology applied to each.