Deonte Banks enters NY Giants training camp as a trade candidate

The Giants declined Deonte Banks’ fifth-year option on May 1, and the moves since have only tightened the squeeze on the former first-round pick. New York signed Greg Newsome II and drafted Colton Hood in the second round, then watched Banks land on a list of players each team should look to move this summer.

Banks could be a Giants trade candidate this offseason. The 24th overall pick from 2023 is now a holdover in John Harbaugh’s first camp, and the numbers behind the label explain why the team is comfortable letting him audition for a new home.

The production never caught up to the draft slot

Banks graded out at a 42.4 overall PFF defensive mark in 2025, ranking 112th of 114 qualified cornerbacks, according to PFF. His coverage grade of 45.0 landed 110th at the position, and quarterbacks posted a 149.7 passer rating when targeting him, a figure that reflects 26 receptions allowed against a single pass breakup on the year.

Among cornerbacks with at least 2,000 snaps since 2023, Banks owns the worst overall PFF grade in the NFL at 43.8, paired with the third-highest passer rating allowed when targeted at 110.9, per PFF. A promising rookie year has given way to two seasons of regression rather than the ascending arc a top-25 corner is drafted to deliver. That three-year trend is the part that scares a new staff.

The cornerback room moved on without him

Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II project as the outside starters for 2026, with Dru Phillips manning the nickel. Colton Hood, the No. 37 pick out of Tennessee, arrived with starter potential and a clearer fit for defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s scheme.

That leaves Banks fighting for snaps behind two veterans and a rookie the front office spent real draft capital to acquire. The declined option means he is playing on an expiring rookie deal with no long-term commitment from the team, which is exactly the profile a rebuilding secondary is willing to trade for a mid-round pick.

What a trade would actually return

Banks’ contract makes a move painless for an acquiring team, but his tape caps the return. A first-round corner two years removed from his best football carries little standalone value, and a deal would likely require New York to accept a Day 3 pick or attach draft capital to move him, a reality the trade-market chatter has already acknowledged.

The last audition in New York

Harbaugh and Wilson have every incentive to give Banks a look in camp, if only to protect his trade value or discover whether a new scheme unlocks the movement skills that made him a first-rounder. His athletic testing was never the issue; ball location and route recognition were. Wilson’s more aggressive, man-heavy structure could either expose those flaws again or hand Banks the press-man reps that suit his frame.

The Giants have spent two offseasons hoping the light comes on and re-tooled the position both times it did not. Banks reports to camp as the odd man out, and the front office has already told the market it is listening.

By Anthony Rivardo

Anthony Rivardo is the COO of Empire Sports Media and the host of Fireside Giants, a New York Giants ... More about Anthony Rivardo