Toward the end of a 27-10 drubbing of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon, there was a reality that rippled up and down the New York Giants’ sideline.
Several players, including wide receiver Sterling Shepard, were likely playing their final game in a Giants uniform. Even running back Saquon Barkley has an uncertain future and was forced to ponder that same reality.
Another player headed toward free agency is safety Xavier McKinney, who capped off a career-best season with two interceptions and three passes defensed.
After the game, McKinney’s teammates delivered a simple message to general manager Joe Schoen: “Pay that man.”
The problem for Schoen and the Giants is that there’s only so much money to go around. As a result, someone is going to get the franchise tag and it’s unlikely that will be Barkley for the second year in a row.
That leaves McKinney, who isn’t thrilled with the idea of a franchise designation.
“No comment,” McKinney said when asked if he’d play on the franchise tag.
While McKinney didn’t want to discuss playing on the tag, he was certainly open to talking about making it rain. He agreed with his teammates and said it’s time for the Giants to pony up.
“I definitely agree,” McKinney said. “I definitely agree, but we’ll see what happens and go from there.”
Although he played well in 2023, it’s been a rocky road for McKinney as a member of the Giants. He suffered a severe injury during the team’s bye week a year ago and then had a public spat with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale in November. That led to some other internal issues.
After all of that, does McKinney even want to come back in 2024?
“I mean, I can’t really — I can tell you, but I can’t really control nothing,” McKinney said. “It’s a business at the end of the day, so I just got to be where my feet are, be present and that’s really about it.”
One thing McKinney is certain of is that he’s got some solid negotiating ground to stand on this offseason. He played exceptionally well in 2023 and believes the best is yet to come.
“To be honest, I don’t think I’ve touched — scratched the surface of who I am as a player. I think I could’ve been a lot better this year in a lot of different areas, but I think the best is yet to come for me,” he said.
