Giants Country

Joe Schoen: Giants Will Wait on Contract Extension with Xavier McKinney

Here's why that makes sense.

Patricia Traina

Joe Schoen: Giants Will Wait on Contract Extension with Xavier McKinney
Joe Schoen: Giants Will Wait on Contract Extension with Xavier McKinney /
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Last year, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen attempted to extend the contracts of running back Saqon Barkley and safety Julian Love during the bye week, to no avail.

So, will he look to extend any deals again this year?

"I won't say we won't do it, but we have nothing on the docket right now," Schoen said.

That includes safety Xavier McKinney, who of late has taken to social media suggesting that he feels disrespected.

Schoen said he's had a conversation with McKinney, who is entering his fourth season, but he declined to provide specifics. When asked if he planned to wait until after the season to discuss a new contract with McKiney, he said, "Yeah."

That comes as little surprise as Schoen and the Giants likely want to see if McKinney, who has been injured in two of his three NFL seasons, can stay healthy and get back to the level he was at in 2021 when, in 16 games, he recorded five interceptions, ten pass breakups, and 93 tackles, both career highs.

Last year, McKinney played in just nine games due to suffering a broken hand in an ATV accident during the team's bye week. He finished with one sack, 45 tackles, two tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and no interceptions in those games played for a 116.0 NFL Coverage rating, second-worst among Giants defensive backs who played in a minimum of 100 coverage snaps.

McKinney is due to count for $2,669,878 against this year's salary cap, so a contract extension wouldn't necessarily aid the Giants' cap situation, which, per Over the Cap, has them with $5,175,986 of cap space remaining for 2023.

Even with an extension, the prorated signing bonus alone would inflate McKinney's cap figure this year, which is why it doesn't necessarily make sense for the Giants, who, by the way, don't plan to touch defensive lineman Leonard Williams's team-leading $32 million cap hit this year to clear additional cap space, to do anything with.

But again, it's all about production and availability. McKinney's limited on-field appearances have given the Giants the same kind of pause they likely had when deciding whether to exercise quarterback Daniel Jones's rookie deal option year. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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