FOXBOROUGH, Mass -- A.J. Howard figured, like the rest of his New York Giants teammates, that the season would end after the Dec. 30 finale against the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants weren’t going to the playoffs and his rookie season would end after spending nine weeks on the practice squad.
However, the rookie safety’s journey took a welcomed twist. Howard’s agent Brian Hamilton told him at the end of the season to sit still before signing any reserve/future contract with the Giants. The New England Patriots, No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, were interested.