It was only two years ago that New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen looked at Xavier McKinney—a homegrown, rising star safety—and decided he wasn’t worth the check.
Schoen let McKinney walk into the waiting arms of the Green Bay Packers, where he signed a four-year, $67 million deal that averages $16.75 million per season. In hindsight, that contract looks like absolute larceny for Green Bay, especially considering it came with a modest $23 million in guarantees for a premier playmaker.
Paying More for Less Is a Fireable Offense
Fast forward to this past offseason, and Schoen seemingly realized that letting your best defensive back leave the building created a massive void.
Instead of admitting defeat, he tried to patch the hole by backing up the Brinks truck for Jevon Holland, handing him a three-year, $45.3 million contract. The devil is in the details, and they are damning; Holland received $30.3 million in guaranteed money, which is over $7 million more than McKinney got to be an All-Pro elsewhere.
Schoen essentially paid a premium in guaranteed cash for a player averaging just $1.6 million less per season than the guy he let walk. In other words, the Giants downgraded the talent, increased the financial risk, and are now stuck with a safety who has looked like a ghost for the majority of the season.
Jevon Holland Has Been a Liability, Not a Savior
While McKinney thrives in Green Bay, Holland’s debut campaign in Big Blue has been a disaster. The 25-year-old has played 835 snaps but has largely failed to impact the game, allowing 263 yards in coverage along with two touchdowns. His ball production has been anemic, managing just one interception and three pass breakups all year, a far cry from the “ball hawk” reputation he was supposed to bring.
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His struggles aren’t limited to coverage, as he has also posted a 10.9% missed tackle rate while collecting just 43 tackles. By almost every metric, 2025 has been one of Holland’s worst seasons as a pro, and the Giants paid top dollar for the privilege of watching it happen.
The Tyler Nubin Whiff Compounded the Error
To make matters worse, this mismanagement extends to the draft. Schoen allocated a valuable second-round pick on Tyler Nubin, drafting him to be the future deep safety, only to move him to strong safety where he has looked like a below-average contributor. So, to recap: Schoen let a star walk, wasted a second-round pick trying to replace him, and then overpaid a free agent who has underperformed.
It is genuinely baffling that reports suggest Joe Schoen’s job is safe. This isn’t just a bad evaluation; it is financial malpractice that has weakened the roster while clogging the salary cap. If mismanaging the safety position this badly isn’t an example of gross incompetence, I’m not sure what is.
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