Wide receiver Cody Latimer, the Denver Broncos’ second-round selection (56th overall) in the 2014 NFL draft, revealed on Twitter Monday that he has signed a free-agent contract to join the New York Giants.
Latimer, 25, was expected to become a major cog in the Broncos’ offensive machine, but never lived up to those expectations in his four seasons with the team. After a rookie season where he earned the ire of then-quarterback Peyton Manning due to Latimer’s seeming unfamiliarity with the playbook, Latimer and Manning never got into sync; the wideout had only eight catches for 82 yards and a single touchdown in his first two seasons.
Me and my family are Grateful for the opportunity to sign with an amazing organization @Giants letβs work!! #Newbeginnings π΅π΄π΅π΄ pic.twitter.com/SEVsYC94nu
— Clats12 (@CodyLatimer14) March 19, 2018
After Manning retired, things didn’t get much better for Latimer as a receiver. During the 2016 season, he only collected eight catches for 76 yards while occasionally returning kickoffs, but he re-invented himself as a ‘gunner’ on punt returns, where he thrived, downing the ball deep in enemy territory with regularity.
In 2017, which turned out to be his final season with the Broncos, Latimer earned more time on offense thanks to a slew of injuries at the position and a season that was lost early on. He finished with 19 catches for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns, by far his best season — but still nowhere near what the Broncos hoped for, given his lofty draft position.
Latimer finishes his Broncos career with 35 catches, 445 yards and three touchdowns; underwhelming numbers from an underwhelming 2014 draft class that also saw third-round tackle Michael Schofield flame out in spectacular fashion. Fortunately for the Broncos, first-rounder Bradley Roby has played well enough to supplant Pro Bowl regular Aqib Talib (now with the Rams), and sixth-round selection Matt Paradis — currently a restricted free agent — may turn out to be one of the Broncos’ all-time great finds.
Terms of Latimer’s new contract were not released.