Every year, teams who lose free agents attempt to take solace in the compensatory pick formula, which rewards teams who lost quality players during the prior offseason.
One such hope was that the New York Giants would gain a mid-round pick for losing running back Saquon Barkley . The face of the franchise signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles and is a win away from the Super Bowl. New York, of course, won three games.
The team that drafted Barkley won’t profit from his departure, but the analysts at Over the Cap predict the Giants will receive a key draft pick for safety Xavier McKinney, who signed with the Green Bay Packers in the spring.
According to Nick Korte, the Barkley signing was “canceled out” by quarterback Drew Lock, with the same being said for A’Shawn Robinson (Jon Runyan Jr.), Tyrod Taylor (Jermaine Eluemunor), and Ben Bredeson (Devin Singletary).
That leaves McKinney as the only eligible free agent, and is currently slotted in the fourth round. However, it’s possible New York stands to gain from his stellar season.
“Most of the questions this draft center around standard guesswork as to where the cutoffs on which round are,” Over the Cap wrote. “One question that remains is if the NFL Management Council will continue to oddly view restructured contracts as new contracts. If it no longer does this, it could be good news for the Giants and Dolphins.
“Xavier McKinney had an outstanding season in Green Bay, with postseason honors boosting his contract very close to the 3rd round. Christian Wilkins, on the other hand, had a disappointing season in Las Vegas that was marred by injury, dropping his contract down to the 4th round. But if there’s a change, there’s a chance either or both could deliver a 3rd round comp pick instead.”
Given that New York didn’t trade Barkley or McKinney, earning a third-round pick would help ease the pain of those losses. Both earned All-Pro honors in their first season away from East Rutherford, and the Giants could badly use the extra ammunition in the NFL Draft.
New York may face a similar predicament next offseason if it doesn’t bring back receiver Darius Slayton or edge rusher Azeez Ojulari. The veterans were retained at the trade deadline for the sake of continuity and competence, but neither made an impact down the stretch (the latter quickly suffered an injury).
In 2024, general manager Joe Schoen found corner Dru Phillips in the third round, tight end Theo Johnson in the fourth, and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth. If he can replicate that kind of success, Giants fans may be much more willing to accept his questionable free agencies.
-1734929391-q80.webp "Lions QB Jared Goff joins elite Tom Brady, Peyton Manning group after Bears win")
