Giants re-sign David Carr; cut Madison, Knight, Droughns

Giants re-sign David Carr; cut Madison, Knight, Droughns
February 10
New York Daily News

"David Carr will be back for another season with the Giants.

Sam Madison, Reuben Droughns and Sammy Knight will not.

Carr, who spent last season as the backup quarterback to Eli Manning, has re-signed with the Giants for the 2009 season. The Daily News has learned Carr received a one-year deal worth $2.1 million, which includes a $1 million base salary in 2009.

Meanwhile, as first reported by NYDailyNews.com, the Giants freed up more than $4.25 million in salary cap space by cutting Madison (who was due a $1.77 million salary in 2009), Droughns ($1.25 million) and Knight ($1.25 million). All three players had ended the 2008 season on injured reserve.

All four moves were confirmed by the Giants late this afternoon.

The Carr move is a bit of surprise, only because it was expected he'd search the free agent market to see if he had a better opportunity at a starting job. The former No. 1 overall pick (2002) hasn't been a regular starter since leaving the Houston Texans after the 2006 season. He spent one unproductive season with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Giants last March.

Carr only played twice for the Giants last season. He mopped up a 44-6 win over Seattle on Oct. 5 (completing his only pass for five yards) and he played the second half of the Giants' meaningless season finale in Minnesota (8 for 11, 110 yards, one touchdown).

"I think that going beyond a one-year opportunity allows the relationship between Eli and Dave to continue to grow," Tom Coughlin said in a statement released by the Giants. "A lot of really good positive things come out of the meeting room with regard to two veteran quarterbacks and (quarterbacks coach) Chris Palmer and the thinking and the way in which they study and understand the next opponent. Eli's whole idea is to stay at least one day ahead of the coaches and what I like is when the quarterbacks themselves are in there looking at an opponent, talking about the opponent, talking about the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, thinking about what can and can't work. So I like that kind of exchange between two veteran quarterbacks.

"I think it is also beneficial to David Carr's career that he spend a minimum of another year with the New York Giants."

"Last year was just such a positive experience for me I wanted to try to do it again," Carr added. "Just try and kind of get another one of those years under my belt just learning and continuing to better myself.

"Honestly, there are spots out there and starting positions and there could have been some things where it would have just been my Houston situation all over again and it wasn't really something I was looking forward to, to tell you th e truth. (Some of the starting possibilities) it is just difficult to win. I'm not saying that I wouldn't love the challenge of doing that, but it just wasn't right for me, the spots that were available."

Meanwhile, Coughlin issued no comment on the thr"
Link