NFL Rumors: Markus Kuhn Leaving New York Giants For New England Patriots

NFL rumors are swirling around Markus Kuhn. The New York Giants wanted to remove him from the starting lineup, so the former North Carolina State Wolfpack star wanted to join another team. According to NBC Sports, that team should be the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick is always interested in adding more depth to his defensive line, especially with people that he feels he can mold into better players. Kuhn has a chance to become a solid contributor for the Patriots.

Last season, Markus Kuhn started nine games for the New York Giants. He had 20 tackles, which is pretty decent. As a former seventh-round draft pick, not much was expected from Kuhn. He overachieved enough to get the attention of Bill Belichick, which is not an easy thing to do. The fact that Kuhn was signed by the New England Patriots on the same day that the Giants released him shows just how much Belichick valued the German-born defensive tackle.

With the New York Giants spending a ton of money in free agency on Damon Harrison, Markus Kuhn knew that he would be demoted to the bench. Giants head coach Ben McAdoo likes Kuhn, so he asked him to stick around as a rotational player. Markus was not interested in doing that, so he wanted to see if he can latch on with another team.

Markus Kuhn knows that he has quite a bit of competition for playing time with the New York Giants. The team is very high on Jonathan Hankins, who is expected to start next to Damon Harrison. He’s coming back from a torn pectoral injury, but the Giants are confident that he will be able to play at a high level next season.

Another obstacle standing in the way of Markus Kuhn getting playing time with the New York Giants is Jay Bromley. The Giants spent a third round pick in the NFL Draft to select him, so they’re going to want a return on interest. That might convince Ben McAdoo and his coaching staff to lean more towards Bromley when they need someone to step on the field to spell Damon Harrison and Jonathan Hankins.

Though he was not happy with the demotion, Markus Kuhn has no hard feelings towards the New York Giants. He took to social media to express just how happy he was with his time with the Giants. Kuhn thanked the organization and even stated that he is going to miss the people that were within the building. The 29-year-old is showing a lot of maturity and professionalism, so that will bode well if he ever needs to find another team in the NFL to play for.

Since the New England Patriots added several pieces to their defensive line, Markus Kuhn is going to face some competition as well. The 6’4?, 300-pound defensive tackle is the third free agent signed by the Patriots at the position. Terrance Knighton left the Washington Redskins to join New England, but he might have trouble getting playing time because of weight issues. Frank Kearse left the Redskins for the Patriots as well, and he’s going to be one of the many players competing for playing time on the suddenly deep defensive line.

Markus Kuhn isn’t going to shift the balance of power in the NFL. However, he is someone that can help the New England Patriots out. They’re a team that consistently and routinely compete for a spot in the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick knows how to turn average players into good players, so signing with the Patriots could be a very smart and very lucrative move for Kuhn.

[Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images]