After a 6-11 season that was mostly disappointing, the New York Giants are trying to rebuild.
Saquon Barkley, the team’s lone real offensive threat and a two-time Pro Bowler, will soon be a free agency, so they
will need to decide this offseason.
Furthermore, when the new league year starts, safety Xavier McKinney—who has established as a crucial component
of their defense—will also be free agent.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports that New York might save money by using McKinney’s transition tag
instead of paying for his franchise tag.
This year, McKinney enjoyed the best season of his NFL career. He tied cornerback Deonte Banks for the team lead
with 11 passes defended and finished second on the team with 116 tackles (78 solo).
At just 24 years old, the 2020 second-round draft pick has a lot of promising years ahead of him.
The Giants’ success last season—when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card stage of the playoffs
after winning six of their first seven games—was mostly due to their defense, but this year they were merely 26th in
terms of scores allowed and 27th in terms of total yards given up.
Adoree’ Jackson, a cornerback with eight passes defended and one pick-six this season, is another important
prospective free agency that they will need to find a way to retain.
If the Giants hope to return to the postseason in the near future, a great deal of work will need to be done.
