Jon

Feliciano

Feliciano took to social media on Thursday to announce his decision to walk away from the game. The 10-year pro and former fourth-round pick spent all of last season on injured reserve due to a knee injury but did start seven of the 10 games he appeared in during the 2023 season while playing 478 offensive snaps. Feliciano said in his post that while “the fire is still there,” he knows he won’t be capable of playing a full season and doesn’t want to let his teammates down by not being available. It’s a sobering thought from the long-time vet, but at 33 years old, Feliciano will now call it quits after 113 career games and 61 career starts stretched over stints with the Raiders, Bills, Giants, and 49ers.

His knee “hasn’t responded” how the team had hoped. Feliciano, 33 next February, may be at the end of the line as he hits free agency after the season. He did not play at all this year.

The ten-year veteran will return to the Niners for a second season after playing in 16 games and starting seven for San Francisco in 2023. Feliciano was excellent last season. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 15th best offensive lineman among 200 qualifying players. Trent Williams was the only Niners lineman to rank higher.

Feliciano started all 15 games he appeared in last season for the Giants, lining up at center after playing primarily at guard for most of his career. One of the more versatile linemen in the league, Feliciano likely slots in at one of the two guard positions for the 49ers, who recently re-signed center Jake Brendel to a four-year contract.

Lemieux, Feliciano, and Neal are starters for the Giants. Their absence could be disastrous for Daniel Jones and the New York offense against a ferocious Cowboys pass rush with the league’s fourth highest QB pressure rate. A lopsided Thanksgiving game could limit Saquon Barkley’s workload as well. The Giants would do well to turn the game into an ugly, low-scoring slugfest.

Feliciano is questionable to return with a neck injury. This is a massive blow to a Giants’ offensive line that has already suffered multiple injuries through out the game.

Feliciano started 16 games in 2019 but injuries kept him off the field for chunks of the next two seasons. He was only active for nine games last year because of a calf issue and a stint on the COVID list. Feliciano started six times, splitting his snaps between right and left guard. Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino added that he will play center for the Giants. Feliciano primarily played guard during his time in Buffalo but did log a few hundred snaps at center over the years. He also has a head start on learning New York’s playbook as he will be following former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll there. The deal gives Feliciano a chance to stay healthy and prove his worth for a bigger contract in 2023 while bringing a familiar face and plenty of experience to the Giants.

30-year-old Feliciano signed with the Bills ahead of the 2019 season and started all 16 games that year before battling injuries the last two years, limiting him to 18 games and 15 starts. The release saves the Bills over $3.3 million against the cap, leaving behind $1.5 million in dead money. When healthy, Feliciano is a very capable mauler at either guard or center.

The Bills also activated WR Gabriel Davis, OL Jon Feliciano, and DE A.J. Epenesa. The NFL recently updated its COVID protocols in accordance with new CDC guidelines, shortening the 10-day isolation period to five days for both vaccinated and unvaccinated players. That change took effect immediately and applies to players who previously tested positive. Beasley becomes one of the first beneficiaries of the updated policy. He will be able to participate in team activities and should be expected to play against the Falcons. It’s possible that he sees a reduced role after Isaiah McKenzie added a spark to the Bills’ offense against the Patriots. Beasley looks like a low-floor, volume-based WR4 in Week 17.

Felciano started six games, primarily at left guard, in the first eight weeks of the season but suffered a calf injury that sent him to IR for roughly a month. He came back last week but will now be sidelined once again. Ike Boettger will start at left guard until Felciano returns.