Markus Kuhn returns to Giants organization

The New York Giants reunited with former defensive tackle Markus Kuhn ahead of the Giants’ Week 10 matchup against the Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. Kuhn was the first German-born player to score a touchdown in the NFL when he recovered a fumble and returned it for 26 yards in the Giants’ 36-7 win over the Tennessee Titans in 2014.

The Giants now have official marketing rights in Germany. Kuhn’s return to the team will provide overall guidance on the German landscape and recommendations on content, events, and in-market activations. Kuhn will also be the face of the Giants’ German social and digital accounts; this will help educate Germans on the sport of American football.

Kuhn started 11 of 39 games for the Giants from 2012-2015. He recorded 48 tackles with 1.5 sacks, 13 pressures, four passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and the aforementioned defensive touchdown against the Titans. He was a fan favorite — lunch pale — type of player.

Kuhn recently joined the Giants Huddle podcast and had this to say about his new role with the team and the NFL’s growing popularity in Germany:

“The Giants were the last team before the international game series started that played in Germany as part of the World Games when they played in Germany in the 90s,” Kuhn said. “So the Giants played in Germany as the last team. Now, coming back this year, there’s a big fan base in Germany. There’s fan clubs that meet and watch together. So, we have a good amount of Giants fans, but also we just have a ton of American football fans in Germany that still are undecided for the team. We’re trying to see if we can turn them into Giants fans.

Kuhn started playing football at 14 years old. He learned it while visiting Florida and brought it back to Mannheim, Germany, where he was raised. He eventually joined the Weinheim Longhorns of the German Football League (GFL). He was a four-time GFL All-Star and was named Rookie of the Year.

He enrolled at North Carolina State University at 21 years old and was selected by the New York Giants in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Germany is a growing market for football; at one point in the interview, Kuhn mentioned that there are more than 20 million football fans in Germany and that American football is the second most-watched sport after soccer.

Kuhn will look to educate more German fans to grow the popularity of the sport while, once again, representing the Giants organization.