Hey, the Giants are actually players in the linebacker market.
New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman made his first splash, coming via a trade, and the bounty is Alec Ogletree, showing right away this new regime values linebackers far more than the previous front office.
The Giants agreed to acquire Ogletree and a 2019 seventh-round draft pick Wednesday from the Rams in exchange for the Giants’ fourth-round compensatory choice and their sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft, The Post confirmed. The trade will be official once the NFL league year begins March 14.
The Giants still own their own fourth-round pick in the draft. The compensatory pick to be sent to the Rams is at No. 135.
It is a big, big move for the Giants, as Ogletree is a solid, ascending 26-year-old and figures to step in as a core member of new defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s unit.
This is an interesting player for the Giants to bring in, considering back in December 2014, Ogletree and then-rookie Odell Beckham Jr. were at the center of a heated brawl during a game in St. Louis. Beckham did not appreciate getting hit far out of bounds by Ogletree and shoved the ball in his face after getting knocked down. Beckham was held back by punter Steve Weatherford and a wild brawl ensued, with two Giants players and one Rams player ejected. Beckham and Ogletree were not ejected, but they were hit with fines, $10,000 for Beckham and $8,268 for Ogletree.
A former 2013 first-round pick of the Rams, Ogletree signed a four-year, $42 million contract extension on Oct. 12 with the Rams, with $21.3 million guaranteed, so he is all locked up on a manageable deal, although his salary-cap hit in 2018 for now will be a hefty $10 million. He has a $7 million roster bonus due March 16 and the Rams clearly did not want to pay it. The Giants have time to rework Ogletree’s deal to convert some of the roster bonus into a signing bonus, which would significantly lower this year’s cap hit.
A run-and-hit inside linebacker, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Ogletree instantly becomes the top player at his position on the Giants roster. If B.J. Goodson is able to shake his injury issues, he would form a potent 1-2 linebacker punch with Ogletree, who had a career-high 136 tackles in 2016. Ogletree has started all 16 games in three of his five years in the NFL and last year started 15 games — he sat out the regular-season finale to rest up for the playoffs — registering 95 tackles.
Ogletree reacted to the deal on Twitter.
“Everything happens for a reason and GOD makes no mistake!! Can’t wait to get to the Big 🍎 and continue my career as NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANT!! #Blessed #GOGIANTS”
Ogletree was the 30th player taken in 2013 and his sort of pedigree rarely exists on the Giants roster — they have not taken a linebacker in the first round of a draft since Carl Banks in 1984. Jerry Reese, the former general manager, missed often on mid-round picks and thus had to sign marginal veteran linebackers in free agency.
Ogletree has the speed to run with backs out of the backfield and he can be used in blitz packages, although he has only 5.5 career sacks. He had eight tackles and forced a fumble on rookie Wayne Gallman this past season when the Rams crushed the Giants 51-17. Ogletree has six career interceptions, including one this season against the Cardinals he returned 41 yards for a touchdown.
The Giants have six linebackers set to become unrestricted free agents — Jonathan Casillas, Devon Kennard, Keenan Robinson, Kelvin Sheppard, Akeem Ayers and Mark Herzlich — and might not bring any of them back.
Gettleman last week at the NFL scouting combine said it is difficult to scout college linebackers “because there’s all these bastardized linebackers who do funky things.’’ The way to combat that, he said, is to go back to the basics.
“What you have to do when it comes back down to with linebackers,’’ Gettleman said, “is [ask]: Is he instinctive? Can he run? Is he instinctive, is he athletic, is he smart and is he tough?’’
In addition to his history with Beckham, Ogletree has another connection to the Giants: He is the brother-in law of Andrew Adams, a Giants safety — he is married to Adams’ sister.
Losing Ogletree, a two-time team captain, evidently was not popular among some Rams players. Todd Gurley, the star running back, took to Twitter to post two pouting emoji faces.