Impending free agent safety Xavier McKinney is thankful the New York Giants didn’t place the transition tag on him ahead of free agency but remains hopeful the two sides can work out a long-term deal.
“I didn’t know what the plan was as far as what they wanted to do,” McKinney told Kay Adams on Up & Adams. “I know that something could have happened (with the tag), but it didn’t, so I’m kind of grateful that it didn’t.
McKinney said his representation and the Giants have recently spoken and remain engaged. If an agreement is to be reached in the coming days, it would have to make sense for both sides.
“You know, I’m pretty much being as open as possible. I’m trying to figure it out,” McKinney said. “I’ve expressed as much as I can that I wanted to be back. Still, you know, ultimately, it’s not all up to me, so it’s something that we both have to come to a mutual agreement, and you know, like I said, hopefully, we can get something done. It’s a business, so just have you know to see it like that.
“I do want to be a Giant, but it still has to make sense at the end of the day. The money has to make sense, and everything else has to make sense. We’ve been talking and communicating and trying to figure it out as best we can, so hopefully, it can get done. But as I said, I can only control what I can control, and you know, to see what happens.”
If the Giants and McKinney don’t reach an agreement by March 13, he’s prepared to test the free agent waters and weigh his other options. However, with the safety market being flooded in recent days, it may not pan out the way McKinney had hoped.
Ultimately, none of that will matter if he returns to the Giants.
“I’m big for the Giants right now. That’s where I want to be,” he added.
Time will tell if the Giants and general manager Joe Schoen want the same thing.
