Giants Country

New York Giants Trade Kicker Ryan Santoso to Carolina

The Giants will gain a conditional late Day 3 draft pick in return for the big-legged kicker.

Patricia Traina

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants don't have to reduce their 80-man roster to 53 men until next Tuesday, but they've already gotten a head start in doing so by trading kicker Ryan Santoso to the Carolina Panthers.

First reported by Newsday, the trade will see the Giants get a conditional seventh-round draft pick if Santoso is on the Panthers' roster for at least two games this season.

Santoso signed as an undrafted free agent with Detroit before trying his hand in the CFL.

He then came back to the NFL with the Titans, went back to the CFL, and then landed with the Giants, who kept him as their reserve kicker/punter in the event COVID-19 hit any of their starters (which it did during the bye week).

This summer, Santoso has converted two PATs (he did not have a field goal attempt). Santoso also put his strong leg on display in kickoffs, sending all five of his kickoffs this summer into the end zone for touchbacks (tied for third in the league this summer), with an average hang time of 4.14 seconds, according to Pro Football Focus.

Santoso, who has kicked in two games, is one of three kickoff specialists this summer to not have any of his kickoffs returned, joining Chicago's Cairo Santos and New England's Quinn Nordin for that accomplishment.

The Giants will recoup $783,750 against this year's cap as part of the transaction.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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