Saquon Barkley is the Giants’ most attractive pending free agent, but Xavier McKinnie may be the most important to their future success.
The 24-year-old safety’s price tag will likely be higher than what Barkley ends up commanding, and there’s certainly some thinking within the organization that it would be smarter to spend money on a back-end defender who is in his prime. He’s a running back heading into his seventh NFL season.
The Giants could take Barkley or McKinnie off the open market, but that’s unlikely, especially since Barkley’s franchise tag value is $12.1 million and McKinnie’s franchise tag value is $16.2 million.
There’s also another option for the Giants to consider.
They plan to negotiate with Mr. McKinney’s representatives, but if they can’t reach a deal — and there’s no reason to believe they will — they have until March 5 to give him the little-used transition tag. must be applied. That’s a possibility, the Post has learned.
It would cost the Giants $13.9 million, but the franchise deal would save them a lot of money. The transition tag allows a player to negotiate a contract with another team, allowing the Giants to match that offer sheet and keep the player.
Effectively, if the Giants put a transfer tag on McKinnie, a 2020 second-round pick, another team would decide whether the market was willing to pay him, and the Giants would have to wait until the contract was due to the player’s evaluation. You can judge whether it is suitable. If the Giants do not respond to the offer, McKinney will leave and the Giants will not receive any compensation in return.
If the transition tag is used, the Giants and McKinney can continue working toward a long-term deal.
Mr. McKinney’s recent posts on his X account do not appear to have any ambiguity about what he thinks and his worth.
“I want to be recognized for all my actions and accomplishments, both as a player and as a leader.” I sacrificed what I didn’t have, what my fellow people feared, and stood alone to make things better for all of us.” Posted by Mr. McKinney on February 16th. “It may not have necessarily been beneficial for me, but it was beneficial for the United States. Don’t worry about it. And repeat it 10 times.”
McKinney appears to believe he stuck to the defensive scheme given to him by the coaching staff, even if that scheme didn’t always maximize his talents.
An example of what McKinney is referring to is his career-high five interceptions in 2021, playing more of a playmaking role in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s system. McKinney has totaled three interceptions in 26 games over the past two seasons for Wink Martindale’s defense, often assigned to the deep half of the field and tasked with stopping big plays against the Giants’ defense. was owed.
McKinney had some problems.
He injured his left hand in an all-terrain vehicle accident while on vacation during his bye week and missed seven games in 2022. The Giants could have chosen not to pay him for the time he missed, but he refused to accept money from players.
Last season, McKinney, one of 10 team captains, complained about a lack of communication between players and coaches on defense, adding to the confusion after Martindale made public comments defending him. It got worse.
The day after the season ended, McKinney revealed where he believes he fits as a safety in the NFL, telling the Post that he is the best safety there.
“I don’t think there’s anyone at the same level as me in terms of being able to do everything on the back end,” McKinney said. “I’m the most perfectly safe person in the world, and it’s about time you start respecting that too.”
There are indicators that suggest he is not vastly exaggerating his abilities.
According to Pro Football Focus, he was rated as the league’s fourth-best safety in 2023, behind the Falcons’ Jesse Bates III, the Buccaneers’ Antwon Winfield and the Dolphins’ Jevon Holland. The Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton was rated fifth in safety.
Bates and Hamilton both average $16 million a year, which appears to be a hurdle for McKinney to take the leap. The highest-paid players at their position are the Chargers’ Derwin James ($19 million per year), the Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick ($18.2 million per year), and the Seahawks’ Jamal Adams ($17.5 million per year). The probability of reaching it is low.
Winfield and McKinney are both pending free agents and will likely attract attention once they hit the open market. Kyle Dugger (Patriots), Kamren Karl (Commanders) and Geno Stone (Ravens) are also starting as available safeties.
The Giants have new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton as contractual safety options.
McKinney makes the Giants better. How much they’re willing to pay for it remains to be seen.
