Boogie Basham Reunited with Familiar Faces on Giants
Edge rusher Carlos "Boogie" Basham was interrupted by the Buffalo Bills coaching staff during his last bite of breakfast at the team's Orchard Park, NY facility on Tuesday morning.
"They called me to the side and said, 'You’re getting traded (to the New York Giants)," Basham said during his debut in the Giants locker room on Wednesday.
In addition to Basham, the Giants received the Bills' 2025 seventh-round pick in the deal while sending their 2025 sixth-round pick to Buffalo.
"I would say it’s a new opportunity, a new beginning for me; that’s how I am looking at it," Basham said. "Everything in the past is in the past; now it’s just looking forward, having that same mindset."
In two NFL seasons (23 games, no starts), Basham has recorded 37 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and one interception in regular season games. In four postseason games, he had two sacks and three quarterback hits.
But the Bills decided to move on from the former Wake Forest standout, the deal struck during Tuesday's roster-cutdown date.
Basham said he arrived at the Giants facility at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and "hugged and dapped up" general manager Joe Schoen, whom he knew from Schoen's time as assistant general manager of the Bills.
"He’s the reason I got drafted in Buffalo in the first place," Basham said. "(Schoen) was one of the first scouts that contacted me, talked to me in the process, and he was like, ‘I want you in Buffalo.’"
Most traded players take some time to adjust to their new teammates and coaches, but for Basham, Schoen isn't the only member of the Giants organization with whom he's had a past relationship.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll was the Bills offensive coordinator during Basham's rookie season in 2021. The 25-year-old said he's "thankful to play for (Daboll)," whom he knew was destined for greater things when he was with the Bills.
"He always had that mindset that he wanted to be a head coach, even as an offensive coordinator," Basham said. "It was just a matter of time. He’s crazy; you know he’s got his little sayings here and there. I’m already used to it, but it’s a great opportunity (to be back with him)."
The reunions don't stop there for Basham.
"I talked to (receiver) Isaiah (Hodgins) in the offseason--we both live in Arizona, so that relationship always kept there. Me and (safety) Nick (McCloud) just go back to college, so we always had a connection.
This familiarity has made for a smooth transition so far for Basham. And as he continues his "smooth transition," he's awaiting word on how defensive coordinator Wink Martindale plans to utilize his talents.
"It’s kind of like a world shock' never been through it before," he said of the transition. "But I’m always willing to change, definitely (have) to come out here and work, put the work in each and every day. That’s what I’m bringing to it."
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