McKinney Paying Back Giants After Packers Signing

The New York Giants surprised fans on the morning after the Legal Tampering Period began, waking up the MetLife faithful with good news. The team signed star receiver Jevon Holland in free agency.

Holland signed a three-year, $45.1 million deal in free agency, the 10th-richest contract at his position with the eighth-most annual value. Acquiring a player of Holland’s stature is a win for the Giants, doing so without setting the market (or coming close) is a slam dunk (Over the Cap).

There’s minor risk in his profile, as he’s coming off the worst season of his career, but fans have every reason to think that was more of a weird scheme fit with a new defensive coordinator than a degradation of skill in his age-24 season.

Nevertheless, fans are excited, although some feel this is merely penance for letting safety Xavier McKinney walk last offseason. He signed a four-year, $67 million deal with the Green Bay Packers before emerging as an All-Pro in 2024.

As it turns out, McKinney gave the Giants a parting gift with Holland’s free agent signing.

“We have the same agent,” Holland explained. “We had played each other in the past and have mutual respect for each other. Once I figured out I was going to be a Giant, I reached out to him and asked him how the facility was, the people inside, and what the environment was like being a Giant. He had nothing but positive things to say.

“He said I was going to love it and the place itself; it breeds football and the fan base is great. He just added to the excitement and reassured me that I made the right choice.”

After a 3-14 season, getting McKinney to vouch for the organization may have helped move the needle on putting pen to paper.

Also, it’s worth noting the hindsight bias at play in McKinney’s discourse. He was a young, quality player in the back end, and one general manager Joe Schoen should have kept instead of doubling down on positional value. But there’s a real argument that Holland is a better player now than McKinney was when he left in free agency.

Now, New York’s getting him on at an even better price.

​​”I think it wasn't necessarily something specific. It was just that they wanted good football players,” Holland said. “They want good football players to help build this young team, and I think I'm both a great football player and a young individual who has been in leadership roles previously.

“I think that's the added bonus of me being young but also a vet and going into my fifth year, helping put direction into a young DB room, and I think that's what they were looking for, and I feel like I check those boxes.”

Holland is a worthy headliner for New York’s free agency exploration. Entering a pivotal season for the regime’s job security, he’ll have the ability to both improve the Giants defense and erase the stain on Schoen’s resume left by their last high-profile safety.