Keith Rivers: "Exciting To Be Apart Of A Team That Contends Every Year"

Former Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers' end in Cincinnati was largely sealed after he arrived in camp last year with a mysterious wrist injury that some reports insisted was a "reconstruction of the wrist". How he suffered the injury remains a mystery; one that wasn't pressed publicly or even really acknowledged. Eventually Rivers was traded to the New York Giants for the No. 167 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, who eventually became Boise State safety George Iloka.

According to Pro Football Weekly, Rivers isn't expected to start in New York, playing behind Michael Boley at weakside and Chase Blackburn if the Giants move Rivers inside. In the meantime Rivers is happy to be on a team "that is contending every year." Unfortunately for Rivers, he was never an actual component that helped the Bengals succeed during his time in Cincinnati, mostly due to injuries.

"I don't think it was a situation of being a 'bust.' It was a situation where I was injured a lot, and it was unfortunate injuries -- some things were out of my control," he said. "It happens like that, and hopefully the injuries are gone and we can move forward from there."

Thomas Howard was signed following the end of the lockout in 2011, in response to Rivers' wrist injury that forced him to miss the entire season. Rivers, who likens himself to "armed robbery" for the Giants following the trade, has never played a full season and only played 35 of a possible 64 games since being selected in the 2008 NFL draft.