The New York Giants and D.J. Reader have finally ended their courtship, with the veteran defensive tackle agreeing to a two-year, $12.5 million contract. NFL insiders Ian Rapport and Jordan Schultz posted the news simultaneously on X.
Reader, 31, gets a two-year deal worth $12.5 million, per multiple reports. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported that Reader will get $5.25 million in guaranteed money, all in 2026.
Reader visited the Giants, who were already in the market for defensive tackle
help, before they traded Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals a week ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Once Lawrence was moved, signing Reader became a higher priority. A 10-year veteran, Reader was a fifth-round pick by the Houston Texans in the 2016 NFL Draft. He has played for the Texans, Cincinnati Bengals and spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions.
Reader has played in 137 NFL regular season games, with 128 starts. He did not miss a game for the Lions last season, starting all 17 and playing 583 defensive snaps.
The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Reader will be the primary nose tackle in a revamped interior defensive line. In addition to trading Lawrence, the Giants lost Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson in free agency.
Reader will be joined on the defensive front by veteran free agent signees Shelby Harris and Leki Fotu, along with sixth-round pick Bobby Jamison-Travis. Roy Robertson-Harris and 2025 third-round pick Darius Alexander return from last year’s team.
