PHOENIX — He is feeling it.
He is feeling the passion that waned when he was playing and losing with the Giants.
James Bradberry, removed from that depressing situation, is preparing to play for the Eagles against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl 2023 on Sunday. What was lost has now been found.
“Some of that crept in when I was playing for them,’’ Bradberry told The Post about his time with the Giants. “Not anything against the organization, it was just the fact we were losing and we couldn’t quite turn it around.’’
What “crept in’’ with Bradberry was something quite unfamiliar to him. He was not loving football the way he was supposed to be loving it. In his first four years in the NFL, Bradberry endured three losing seasons with the Panthers and only one playoff game, a loss. He signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Giants as a big-ticket free agent, started 33 of a possible 34 games, had seven interceptions, played quite well as the team’s No. 1 cornerback, and rarely won. The Giants went 10-23 in his two years.
When Joe Schoen was hired as the new general manager, he realized he could not keep Bradberry and his $21.9 million cap charge on the books, given the Giants’ salary cap restraints, and he could not find a taker in a trade. Reluctantly Schoen waived one of the top players on the roster. The Giants gained $10.1 million in cap space and lost their best defensive back.
Bradberry saw it coming.
“I try to treat this like a job,’’ he said. “I try not to think about the logo on the side of my helmet. I try to go out there and do my job because that’s what they pay me to do. So it wasn’t really about me wanting to stay or wanting to leave. I understood how the salary cap works. I understood how much I was supposed to be making, how much I was guaranteed, which was only $2 million the following year.
“I saw halfway through the season we were losing and things didn’t seem like they were turning around, due to injuries and whatnot. I knew I wasn’t going to be a part of the team, so I wasn’t surprised when it happened.’’
Nine days after he was set free, the Eagles pounced, giving Bradberry a one-year deal worth $7.5 million. He started all 17 games for the most dominant team in the NFC, and, just like that, his competitive fire was rekindled.
“It’s influenced my thought process quite a bit,’’ Bradberry said. “More so because in my first six years in the league I didn’t really win a whole lot. I went to this team here and winning, actually like making it to the playoffs and competing for a Super Bowl, it makes me want to play football forever.’’
Play forever … with the Eagles?
“Just in general,’’ Bradberry said. “Because losing sucks, and when you make a lot of money and you’re also losing, you kind of lose a love for the game. I feel like coming here, being around these guys and winning, it’s brought back some more energy and love and passion for the game that I was kind of missing.’’
Bradberry and teammate Darius Slay were tied for 18th in the league in cornerback rankings for the 2022 season by Pro Football Focus. The highest-graded Giants cornerback was Adoree’ Jackson, at No. 31.
The Giants view Jackson as a solid starter, a No. 2 corner. They are in need of a top dog at the position. They will have far more space to maneuver this year than they did last year. Bringing Bradberry back is not the most hairbrained idea out there.
Hmm. Bradberry, 29, said he maintains friendships with several of his former teammates. He adores Jerome Henderson, the Giants’ defensive backs coach.
“Great coach,’’ Bradberry said. “I miss playing under his tutelage.’’
Would he actually be open to a reunion with the Giants?
“You know what, I try to be an open-minded guy,’’ Bradberry said. “The possibilities are limitless when it comes to free agency and where I end up. Can’t make any promises, but I’m an open-minded guy.’’
