Paulson Adebo was a risky free agent signing for the New York Giants. The 26-year-old suffered a brutal broken femur that ended his 2024 season early. Still, general manager Joe Schoen felt good enough to hand him a three-year, $54 million deal.
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The G-Men needed help in the secondary after Deonte Banks took a step back in Year 2 following a promising rookie season. The need for a true No. 1 cornerback was obvious, and the hope was Adebo would bounce back from the injury and be exactly that.
The move was obviously scrutinized — it was a lot of money. Schoen was hitching his wagon to an expensive non-superstar corner coming off a season-ending injury. But when videos surfaced earlier this offseason of Adebo showing off his movement and recovery progress, it sparked the first bit of optimism.
Then came training camp. And on Day 1, Adebo wasted no time proving Schoen’s gamble might’ve been the right call after all.
Paulson Adebo already looks like an elite signing by Joe Schoen
Adebo came to the Giants looking to showcase his elite athleticism, ball skills, and physicality. Safe to say, he proved to be just that in one rep at training camp.
Matched up against veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton, the CB made an early statement. Russell Wilson dropped back to pass and threw what looked like an absolute laser to Slayton on a back-of-the-end-zone slant route. The pass looked on time and accurate, but that wasn’t going to matter. Slayton had Adebo draped all over him, breaking up the pass easily:
Paulson Adebo PBU 🔐 pic.twitter.com/KJ1Ert3d8x
— New York Giants (@Giants) July 23, 2025
Sign me and all Big Blue Nation up for more of this. This team’s secondary needed juice, and the riskiest move of them all came with the fruit and the juicer.
Adebo locking down Slayton should give Schoen and the staff confidence that they may have finally found their CB1 — leaving the CB2 battle wide open.
In a bit of a surprise, Cor’Dale Flott started the day opposite Adebo. Most assumed Banks would at least begin camp with the job, but it turns out coverage lapses and effort concerns have consequences. To his credit, Banks bounced back by breaking up an end zone fade to Malik Nabers. It was a great sign to see the third-year pro respond to adversity in real time.
Don't look now, but this cornerback room might not be the liability it was just a year ago.
Paying Adebo $18 million per year was a swing. But broken bones aren’t torn ligaments — bones usually heal clean. Schoen bet the house on him, and early signs suggest it could pay off. Sometimes, the bold moves are the ones that change everything.