With speculation that the New York Giants could trade cornerback Janoris Jenkins before the October 29 trade deadline, it leaves a question hanging – who would replace him?
Jenkins has been great at times for Big Blue, but his inconsistencies have hurt the defense and made them susceptible to big games from opposing wide receivers. For example, Mike Evans, who has been inefficient for a majority of the 2019 season, was torched in week three against the Giants, earning 190-yards and three touchdowns. While the size differential was significant, Jenkins needs to be more productive, considering those astronomical totals.
What could the New York Giants get in a potential deal?
A contending team might be willing to cough up a third or fourth-round pick for the talented defender, and he has the potential to be a lockdown player on a good team, but his time with the Giants has not been ideal. Losing seasons, locker-room issues…the list of negatives doesn’t end.
Trading Jenkins would theoretically give the Giants more draft capital for 2020, but it would thrust rookie DeAndre Baker into the No. 1 role, despite barely surviving in a secondary role opposite Jenkins. This could call for a potential trade, and snagging Arizona Cardinals top corner Patrick Peterson could make sense.
This issue would be his cap-hit, which will jump up to $13 million (spotrac) next season. He will be a free agent after 2020, opening up the door for his departure. Another concern for the Giants if they’re willing to gamble on him staying in New York.
Arizona would likely require at least a second-round pick to trade away their best defender, and with their problems on defense, depleting the overall talent of the unit doesn’t make much sense. However, they’re also in a state of a rebuild, and adding draft capital for next season/ ridding themselves of a massive cap-hit could be beneficial.
Jenkins is set to make $14.75 million next year, meaning trading him away would lower the cap-hit from the Giants’ best corner, in the scenario they gained Peterson.
While this is all hypothetical, it’s an exciting proposition that would bring in a top corner in the league (proven), and effectively lower the cap-hit at the position by trading Jenkins away in the process.