The New York Giants’ season is falling apart as the team holds a 1-4 record entering Week 6. With another difficult primetime matchup up next, things look like they will be getting even worse for Big Blue.
Amidst the chaos, the NFL trade deadline looms. The deadline is on October 31, giving teams just a few more weeks to finalize their roster construction ahead of the postseason.
With their season spiraling out of control, the Giants are far more likely to be sellers, rather than buyers at the upcoming trade deadline. Three players stand out as potential assets Big Blue can sell off at the deadline in an effort to gain more draft capital for a rebuild in the offseason.
Trading a young, promising safety
Xavier McKinney has been disappointing this season. Entering the fourth season of his career and second consecutive season as a starter, expectations were high for McKinney. So far, he has failed to meet those expectations in a contract year, making him a potential trade candidate.
McKinney will be a free agent this offseason. If this season has taken the 24-year-old safety out of the team’s future plans, it would be wise for the front office to trade McKinney for a draft pick mid-season, rather than letting him walk for nothing in free agency next spring.
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Banking on youth in the secondary
The Giants have another player on an expiring contract that may be attractive to other teams. Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson does not appear to be in the team’s future plans which could entice Big Blue to ship the veteran off mid-season.
Jackson has struggled this season while splitting time between the boundary and the slot. Now 28 years old, Jackson’s performance is declining.
The Giants are looking to get younger on the defensive side of the ball as they rebuild their roster. Jackson could still be viewed as a valuable piece for a team in playoff contention. But New York should take what they can get and aim to draft Jackson’s replacement in the offseason or develop one of their two rookie cornerbacks (Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins III) into long-term starters.
Is it time for the Giants to move on from Saquon Barkley?
Fan-favorite, superstar running back Saquon Barkley is once again out of the lineup due to injury. This has been a common theme throughout much of Barkley’s career and, despite his accomplishments on the field, the Giants could consider making a blockbuster trade mid-season and moving on from their star rusher.
Barkley signed a one-year deal to remain in New York this offseason after the two sides failed to agree to a long-term extension during franchise tag negotiations. As part of the revised deal they agreed to, Barkley’s cap hit was lowered.
According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, if Barkley was dealt at the deadline, the acquiring team would only be on the hook for $4.5 million in cap space (instead of $5.6 million pre-new deal).
With the season spiraling out of control, the Giants could consider now to be the right time to move on from Barkley and trade him to a team seeking one last piece of the puzzle to make a Super Bowl run.