Why New York Giants Didn't Tag Safety Xavier McKinney

For weeks, it had been reported that Xavier McKinney could be a candidate for the transition tag. So why didn't the Giants use it on him?

The New York Giants' decision not to use the transition tag on safety Xavier McKinney despite weeks of anticipation that avenue was still in play seemed to catch many people off guard. This left questions about why team general manager Joe Schoen would take such a bold risk in letting a 24-year-old ascending safety who last year didn't miss a single defensive snap hit the open market.

CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones believes the Giants' decision was influenced by the New England Patriots decision to use the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger, an action that Jones believes "made McKinney more attractive to teams who may be willing to offer him a deal in a depressed safety market where the Giants wouldn’t match."

The transition tag is lower cost than the franchise tag but comes with a different set of rules, starting with the team having the right within five days to match any offer sheet signed by the player with a new team.

However, if the original team declines to match, the offer sheet becomes a valid contract, and the original team not only loses the player but also doesn't receive compensation (like the two first-round picks that are received in the case of a team losing a non-exclusive franchise player), nor does a transition-tagged player lost count toward the compensatory pick formula for the following year.

By not tagging McKinney, the Giants are likely hoping that the market doesn't deliver for the 24-year-old safety, who has made no secret of his desire to be among the top paid at his position.

Schoen is thought to have established a budget for how high he's willing to go to retain McKinney, the team's second-round draft pick in 2020, after recalibrating the team's financial position following the unexpected additional salary cap space windfall the NFL announced each team was getting two weeks ago.

While going this route means the Giants would be eligible to receive a compensatory draft pick—something that isn't guaranteed considering the formula is based on free agents lost versus those brought in, among other factors—Schoen seems willing to roll the dice on that scenario should McKinney move on.

It also bears mention that Schoen and the Giants have other pressing needs to address, including offensive line and edge rusher, two premium positions that won't come cheap. If the Giants were to lose McKinney, the thought is that Dane Belton, who was productive in limited snaps last season, would likely take on that starting spot in the Giants' defense.

Ideally, the Giants and McKinney come to terms on a new deal of about four years with an out after three that keeps the still ascending safety and team co-captain last year a member of the Giants defense for years to come.

But for Schoen, ponying up the $13.815 million tag in advance--like the franchise tag, that amount would have automatically come out of the Giants' projected $29,691,666 effective cap space--with so many other needs pending combined with the way the safety market took shape just made the most sense for the Giants.

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