Free agency did not get off to a hot start for the New York Giants this year. Two of their most important players, running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney, departed in free agency for big money deals.
It is going to pain Giants fans watching Barkley suit up for the Philadelphia Eagles, as he agreed to a three-year, $37.75 million deal. McKinney signed a lucrative deal with the Green Bay Packers, a four-year pact worth $68 million.
It has been reported that the Giants didn’t even offer a contract to Barkley, who was testing the market after having the franchise tag placed on him last year. When it comes to McKinney, they were given a chance to match the offer he received from the Packers.
New York didn’t want to let McKinney go, as they took a major risk not placing a franchise tag on him. They were allowing him to set his own market, which he did successfully as he is one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL.
NFL News & Rumors: Xavier McKinney, 2024 NFL Free Agency, New York Giants Updates
In a great show of maturity and good business, McKinney actually gave the Giants a chance to match the offer from Green Bay. The two sides had agreed no franchise tag was the best route to take and he honored that by at least giving them a chance to retain him if they wanted to.
Ultimately, the Giants opted against it, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “However, McKinney was still willing to honor the Giants’ handshake deal. As Schwartz passes along, the safety “did circle back” with the Giants and provided them an opportunity to match Green Bay’s offer. The Giants ultimately “deemed the price was too high for a safety.” We heard previously that the Giants were not prepared to go higher than the transition tag value, meaning there was like a $3MM AAV gap between the two sides,” as shared by Ben Levine of Pro Football Rumors.
Replacing McKinney in the defensive backfield certainly won’t be easy. He has been the best coverage safety in the NFL since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama and is a sure tackler on the backend.
Expect the Giants to continue looking for cost-efficient, veteran help to add to the depth chart. They already made one such move, signing Jalen Mills in free agency. More help could be on the way, especially if they restructure the contracts of Bobby Okereke, Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence to open up more cap space.
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