The New York Giants did not use a franchise tag or a transition tag on safety Xavier McKinney, but that does not necessarily mean his time with the Giants is up.

McKinney said he is “grateful” that New York did not tag him and added that the two sides are engaged in negotiations about a potential deal.

“We’ve had talks, trying to figure something out,” McKinney said during an appearance on the Up & Adams Show. “I’m just pretty much being as open as I can. I’ve expressed it as much as I can that I wanted to be back, but ultimately it’s not all up to me. We have to come to a mutual agreement. Hopefully we can get something done, but I know it’s business.”

The Giants are running out of time to talk exclusively with McKinney.

Free agency officially opens next Monday, meaning McKinney can then negotiate with other teams. That would be bad news for New York, as there may be a club that makes McKinney an offer the Giants can’t match.

McKinney is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played every game and racked up 116 tackles, a half of a sack, three interceptions, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries and 11 passes defended.

The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by New York in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Injuries limited him to six contests during his rookie year, but the following season, McKinney appeared in every game and registered 93 tackles, five picks, 10 passes defended and a defensive touchdown.

He dealt with another abbreviated season in 2022 before breaking out this past year.

We’ll see if the Giants can come to terms with Xavier McKinney before another team swoops in and steals him away next week.

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