Two of the Giants’ secondary starters are in contract years, and after the Leonard Williams deal, sales rumors have surrounded the Giants. Saquon Barkley continues to come up, despite the team’s insistence he will not be moved. Both Adoree’ Jackson and Xavier McKinney also loom as potential trade chips.
Jackson’s three-year contract — authorized during Dave Gettleman‘s final year as GM — and McKinney’s rookie deal both expire after the season. The Giants are undoubtedly open for business, but neither player is looking likely to be moved before today’s 3pm deadline. The Giants do not appear to be interested in moving McKinney, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy, who adds the team is also not especially motivated to trade Jackson.
The Jackson situation is a bit more complicated than McKinney’s. At the veteran cornerback’s request, the Giants engaged in offseason extension talks. Though, Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano notes those did not progress much. The Giants were not too keen on hammering out an offseason extension. They also would be hit with some dead money, with Monday’s deadline to restructure veteran contracts — to help facilitate trades — having come and gone. The Giants would be hit with a $7.5MM dead-money charge by trading Jackson now, and because the deadline passed, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan adds the team is unlikely to move the former first-round pick.
Jackson, 28, is attached to a three-year, $39MM deal that calls for an $11MM 2023 base salary. With Williams off New York’s balance sheet, Jackson holds the team’s highest cap number ($19.1MM). The Giants will be hit with a near-$3MM dead-money charge if/when Jackson departs as a free agent, thanks to a 2024 void year inserted into the contract via a restructure.
McKinney would figure to generate more interest, given his age (24) and experience. The Giants have moved on from Jabrill Peppers, Logan Ryan and Julian Love over the past two offseasons, leaving McKinney as a last man standing among the Gettleman-assembled safety corps. The Giants were not interested in discussing an extension with McKinney this offseason, however, leaving some ambiguity about the team’s plans for the former second-round pick’s long-term future.
Pro Football Focus has Jackson rated as one of this season’s worst corners, slotting him outside the top 110 at the position. He committed a crucial pass interference penalty in the ugly overtime loss to the Jets, setting New York’s AFC team up for a short game-winning field goal. The former Titans draftee does not appear to have a post-2023 future in New York, with Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins in place as rookie-contract starters signed through 2026. McKinney’s Big Apple future remains to be seen, but the Giants lost Love after letting him play out a contract year. It will be interesting to see if the Alabama alum is in the Joe Schoen regime’s plans.