When Dave Gettleman took over as the New York Giants general manager in December of 2017, he was determined to remake the roster in a certain image. That meant ridding the team of ingrates, players who weren’t pulling their weight and bloated contracts.
The next October at the trade deadline, Gettleman decided to trade cornerback Eli Apple to New Orleans and defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison to the Detroit Lions.
Apple needed a fresh start after crapping out in New York, but Harrison did not have the same reaction to his trade.
“I was a bit angry,” Harrison said on Chris Long’s podcast about the trade. “To be completely honest with you, I didn’t want to go to Detroit because of some things that I heard from some guys in the past and some guys who were there. When I got the call that that’s where I was traded, I didn’t answer the phone for a couple hours. (Lions general manager) Bob Quinn was calling me, and I didn’t pick up the phone because I was trying to figure out a way to get out of it.”
Snacks was released by the Lions in February, a move that freed up $6.7 million in cap space.
Harrison is coming off a down season and at 32, he may find it difficult to land a new gig. It’s almost certain a Giants’ reunion is out of the question with all the young talent Gettleman has been amassing on the defensive line.
