Q. Tremaine, curious what the last week or so was like, because I think you were kind of on the trade block, and at what point did you find out the Giants were interested in you?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: Yeah. It's been a lot, just as far as just the business side of it and kind of going through the process. But with free agency it's kind of weird. You find out a lot of things, really when the window is open, you know what I mean, for teams to kind of reach out to you and start talking contract stuff and looking like what it is.
But just backtracking, obviously, it was a trade situation, and then the release from Chicago what led me here. And just kind of going through the process, taking it all in. Definitely forever grateful for my opportunity in New York now with Coach Harbaugh and the staff, just kind of getting here, getting my feet wet and really hitting the ground running, you know what I mean, and really trying to build something special for sure.
Q. Did you think there was any chance the Giants were going to trade for you? Was that a team that came up at that point?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: To be honest, man, the process goes so fast. It's really hard to say who's going to do this and who's not going to do this. But I'm excited that I was able to come here, you know what I mean, and to be able to get things started here.
Q. Tremaine, this might sound like a very elementary question, but everybody is different, and I'm kind of wondering, how do you go about leading a defense?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: Yeah. I mean, that's not elementary. If you don't know, then that means I gotta answer it for you.
No, it's just you gotta be yourself. Like this is my ninth year going into the league, and it's always been the same mindset for me. Like be your authentic self and people are going to be led by somebody like that. I don't try to be somebody I'm not. Obviously, just being a good defense, being a good team and being a good player, like you gotta demand a lot out of each other.
So that's definitely one thing that each and every one of us should want out of each other. That's what brings teams together, what's that brings players together, and that's what I've always been about all my years, not trying to show up somebody that I'm not, respecting everybody, showing love, but at the same time, like you're going to see off my work, I've always been a hard worker. All my teammates can vouch for it. And that's just how I truly believe like you can be a good leader, a good player and just have longevity in this league, be yourself, be authentic self and people are going to gravitate towards that.
Q. Thank you. That was a great answer.
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: I appreciate you.
Q. Obviously John Harbaugh loves his middle linebackers, Ray Lewis, Roquan Smith, all those guys. When he talked to you about the fit, how you fit on this team, what did he explain to you about your fit and how excited are you to play for a coach who loves the great middle linebacker play?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: Yeah. As far as fit and role and stuff like that, to be honest with you, like I said, stuff has been going a thousand miles per hour. Even now, I just got here and kind of came straight up here. So as far as sitting down, going through the logistics and what that looks like, we haven't technically got there yet. But he sured up that obviously that's a hall of fame coach. You know what I mean? I've been a fan of Coach Harbaugh for a long time. I actually grew up a Ravens fan. So I was very close with what he did and players that he coached.
You brought up Ray Lewis. That was my favorite player going up, ironically. And just to be able to kind of get under that same tree and, you know what I mean, just get around greatness. And he's coached, like you said, some other hall of fame players and some other big-time players. And now it's my time to come in to take that coaching and to elevate my career and elevate what I've been doing over these years.
And I'm extremely excited. It's going to be definitely a lot of work, but at the same time, that's what you want. You want something that's going to be hard. Anything that's worth having, it takes hard work and sacrifice. So I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity, and I'm excited for this opportunity for sure.
Q. And obviously you've been a vet in this league, but you said you grew up watching John Harbaugh and the Ravens and Ray Lewis. Does it hit you at any point that you're going to play for a coach that you've admired for such a long time and being part of that tree like you said?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: Yeah, 100 percent. That goes into the decision of why I wanted to come here, to be around that, to know what he stands for. Not just obviously just on the field, but even talking with him you know what I mean? He's a guy that you just get the feel, like you know what, man, he's all ball. It's not just all talk. It's based off his resumé. Like just look at the things that he's done.
If you have any type of competitive drives in your blood or whatever, like you want to be playing for a guy like that. And to have that opportunity to come out and show not just him, but just the whole New York Giants organization what I could do, that's what I'm looking for, to showing my teammates that I am one of the best linebackers in the league and showing them that you can trust a guy like me to go out there and help bring this thing together and really be where we want to be at.
That's the most exciting thing about it. But like everything, man, it takes one step at a time. Obviously learning from my experience, that's really what I want to pour back into the young guys, show them the bad side of it, show them the good side of it, because at the end of the day, that's what it is. It's a journey, and you gotta take each step and apply that into where you're trying to get to, but it's one step at a time. You can't look at tomorrow without getting through today and what today's mission is. So we take it one step at a time and see where things go.
Q. You were first round pick in Buffalo, Joe Schoen was the assistant GM there. Do you have any kind of relationship with him? Sometimes players and assistant GMs really don't. But now the reconnection here with the Giants. Did any of that affect anything in any way?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: Yeah. I mean, you know, I've had some relationship with him, you know what I mean? Just obviously being in Buffalo, him being in Buffalo, just having a relationship, talking on the side and when we run into one another and just being able to just say what's up, you know, small talk. Well, sometimes it may be big talk.
Obviously Buffalo was a couple years back for me now, but just to see his success over the years, first, just want to congratulate him even for this job that he has now. Obviously it's not easy leading an organization, and to see what he's doing, obviously bringing in Coach Harbaugh, bringing in these new pieces and trying to really turn this thing around. I think he's definitely off to the right start.
It's definitely always good to come back around somebody that you're familiar with. So just kind of seeing each other again and kind of just smiling and saying, man, it's been a while, but I'm glad we was able to reconnect. It's always good, obviously, seeing somebody else again.
Q. Did you think you found a home in Chicago and were going to stay there? I mean, how hard is it to be told to leave and then have to find this? I'm sure you're very happy to be with the Giants, but you know what I'm saying? Upheaval and moving is hard, isn't it?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: Yeah. It's the business. You know what you signed up for. And I say that smiling, but when you trust your ability and you trust -- honestly, God's plan, I'm a firm believer that I am where I'm supposed to be at.
I don't know, you know what, I may have been protected from just transitioning to this phase, but I'm extremely excited, extremely confident that this is going to be my best phase out of my whole career. I'm looking forward and not more so looking behind me.
So a lot of the things is positive. Chicago, I'm grateful for all the experience I got there over the last three years, amazing fanbase, amazing coaching they have over there with Coach Johnson and just amazing players and friendships that I made over there. But you take those experiences, take those friendships and you build into the next phase of your life. You know what I mean?
Life don't stop now that I'm going to another team. It's just now we add on to the things that we've done over there, or that I did over there. And it's kind of just bringing some of my experiences, you know what I mean?
I'm going into Year 9. I have some experience to show some of the younger guys just as far as maybe starting off a certain way, but changing stuff around. And I'm not saying it's just my way or the highway. But I'm a firm believer that experience is a number one teacher. So we all can learn from one another.
But to answer your question again, like I'm extremely grateful for it. Man, I am not looking back on it at all. I got nothing but love for the city of Chicago, and I want to thank them for everything that they've done for my career.
Q. What do you know about Dennard Wilson and what do you think you can kind of bring to this team and this defense?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: Yeah. Definitely know, you know what I mean, he's aggressive. I like his coaching style. I know a couple players that played for him kind of spoke briefly on just his style in general. Kind of followed him a little bit in his last spot as well, and I'm just excited to get to know him a little bit more and for him to get to know me.
I think player-coach relationship is important in this league, to be able to look at strengths and weaknesses of a player and of a coach and be able to come together for something greater than you is what I admire most out of my years, people from different backgrounds, different experiences.
Obviously he was in a new spot last year. I was in a new spot last year. So I would like to say we both come into this situation with a chip on our shoulder. And that's the most important thing, and that's the most exciting thing.
Like when you have somebody -- not just somebody, but people as a whole that they only want to do is just win. That's all they want to do is win, and that's the vibe I'm getting from him, you know what I mean, extremely confident in what he do. And I'm excited to get the ball rolling.
Q. And also, I'm curious, what happened at the end in Chicago? Like what did they tell you? Why did you become available?
TREMAINE EDMUNDS: That's how the business go, man. That's how the business go. And just the whole situation played out how it played out. But like I said a couple minutes ago, I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity. Whatever happened happened as far as conversation wise. We don't have to really get into all those details.
But it's more so just the opportunity that I have now, man. I'm extremely happy just to be able to come in here and really do something that I feel like the city wants, you know what I mean, and that's to win. And that's all that's on my mind. Each spot, everywhere that I played, it resulted in us winning just as far as I'm talking about as a team, and that feeling is contagious. And that's what you want as a player. That's what you want as an organization. And you know what I mean, that's just what I want to do here exactly in New York as well.
There's great players that's already on this team and just being able to come and kind of just add to it, because it's not like I'm starting from ground zero. We have great players here already that's been playing at high levels, and that's really what drew me to even come here, too, to be able to team up with some of these guys and to really make a run for this thing. So I'm extremely excited, man, and I think the sky is the limit.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports