Giants release wide receiver Brandon Marshall

Brandon Marshall was released by the Giants on Thursday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The New York Giants are officially moving on from Brandon Marshall. The veteran wide receiver was notified of his release Thursday afternoon.

Marshall, 34, was under the impression that he would remain on the Giants’ roster in 2018 after agreeing in early March to take a pay cut for the upcoming season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The organization, which signed him to a two-year, $12 million deal last offseason, has chosen to go in a different direction, however, and Giants general manager Dave Gettleman told reporters that Marshall was being released with a failed physical.

The Giants are the fifth team Marshall has played for since he was drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos in 2006.

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His release comes on the heels of the Dallas Cowboys’ decision to cut ties with their star wideout, Dez Bryant. Following his dismissal from Dallas, the 29-year-old Bryant made it known that his preference was to play for an NFC East team, and specifically referenced the possibility of playing alongside the Giants’ crop of young talent.

“Playing with (Odell Beckham, Jr.), Sterling (Shepard) … the tight end (Evan Engram), (Eli) Manning? Crazy,” Bryant told CBSSports of playing for the Giants, who also are rumored to be considering drafting Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick next week. “That’d be crazy!” Bryant told CBSSports.

In response to Bryant’s interest in joining the Giants, Marshall wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post: “Sorry baby bro no room. @dezbryant.”

Bryant was released last Friday after eight seasons in Dallas. He caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns in 2017 and ended his Cowboys’ tenure with 7,459 receiving yards and 73 touchdowns on 531 receptions. He was owed $12.5 million.

Meanwhile, the Giants save $5.1 million by cutting Marshall, whose first season with the team was cut short due to an ankle injury.

Marshall caught 18 passes for 154 yards (no touchdowns) in five games for the Giants in 2017.

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