The greatest comeback story ever told is officially underway. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former wide receiver turned tight end Kelvin Benjamin is signing a one-year contract with the New York Giants. Benjamin, a former first-round pick, spent the past few seasons out of the league but has previously played for the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs.
The #Giants are signing former first-round WR, now TE, Kelvin Benjamin, source said. A potential comeback story.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 16, 2021
Kelvin Benjamin, New York Giants, Agree to Contract
This signing reunites Benjamin with Dave Gettlemen, the general manager that selected the wide receiver in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Benjamin has a promising rookie season all those years ago, recording 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns on 145 targets. Unfortunatley, he was unable to build on that success, as he tore his ACL prior to the start of the 2015 season. During that campaign, Cam Newton won MVP and the Carolina Panthers made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
Benjamin returned to the field in 2016 and resumed his role as the top option in Carolina’s passing attack. The third-year pro played in all 16 games once again, this time recording 63 receptions for 941 yards and seven touchdowns. The Florida State product began the 2017 season with the Carolina Panthers, playing eight games while recording 32 receptions for 475 yards and two touchdowns. However, the team traded him to the Buffalo Bills midway through the season. During the final six games of 2017, Benjamin recorded 16 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown.
Benjamin returned to the Bills in 2018, but wasn’t able to succeed in the new environment. Despite being peppered with 62 targets in 12 games, the wide receiver only managed to haul in 23 receptions for 354 yards and one touchdown. After getting cut by Buffalo, Benjamin spent the final three games of the season with the Kansas City Chiefs. In total, he hauled in two receptions for 26 yards on five Patrick Mahomes targets.
