Newly acquired free agent safety Jevón Holland might be what the New York Giants needed after they could not retain Xavier McKinney, who left in free agency a year ago.
Holland and the Giants agreed to a three-year, $45.3 million contract on the second day of free agency to help hold down the defensive backfield. It was far from the four-year, $82 million contract that was projected for him.
Last season wasn't Holland's best. He recorded a career-low 62 tackles and missed an interception for the first time. Not only did he record his lowest overall PFF grade, but his coverage grade 57.1 was also a career-low and ranked 109th out of 171 eligible safeties.
Still, there is room for optimism that he can bounce back to his elite form, which is why PFF named Holland the Giants' free agent signing with the highest upside.
"The Giants very likely benefited from Holland, PFF’s third-ranked free agent, having a down year in 2024, signing him to a $15.1 million-per-year deal that makes him only the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid safety," said analyst Ben Cooper.
While the 25-year-old recorded a career-low 63.0 PFF overall grade in 2024, he is PFF’s seventh-highest-graded safety over the past four years, and his 20 forced incompletions over that span — despite some missed games over the past few years — are tied for the fifth most."
Holland plays key roles in the pass rush, coverage, and against the rush. He has played 62.3% of his snaps as a deep safety, 25.1% in the box, 11.1% in the nickel, and 1.5% as an outside cornerback throughout his career. The versatility is what makes him the player he is.
Despite not having an interception last season, Holland racked up four pass deflections and allowed only two touchdowns. He has 25 pass deflections and five interceptions, showcasing his ballhawk skills throughout his career.
The Giants' secondary had the second-fewest interceptions in the league with 5. They also had 60 pass deflections, which put them in the bottom five teams for that category.
Last season, Holland was solid against the run with a 73.4 PFF run defense grade. He had two tackles for losses and 14 run stops while forcing a fumble. Although he isn't the most physical player, he rarely misses tackles, as he had just six (8.8% missed tackle rate) last season.
One of the underrated aspects of Holland's game is as a blitzer. Throughout his four-year career, he has piled up five sacks, five hurries, and 16 pressures. This season, he finished ranked 39th with a 62.5 pass-rush grade.
In 2021, Holland blitzed a career-high 10.9% under Brian Flores, generating a 25.8% quarterback pressure rating and a 4.0% sack rate (a career-high 2.5 sacks that season). He played 62.1% of his snaps at free safety that season.
Under the right defensive scheme, Holland could be one of the best safeties in the league and a lethal playmaker in the secondary. His versatility, ball skills, and leadership make him one of the top safeties in the league.
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