One area the New York Giants significantly improved this past offseason was their secondary, with the additions of cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevón Holland.
Not to mention, the G-Men have seen breakout performances from defensive backs Dru Phillips, who leads the team in passes defended (8) and interceptions (2), and Cor’Dale Flott, who came up with a crucial pick off Jalen Hurts in last week’s thrilling Thursday night win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Related: Trade target could give Jaxson Dart most electric WR duo in Giants history
One player that Big Blue decided not to retain when they restructured their secondary is safety Jason Pinnock, who was with the team for the last three seasons. Now, his name has come up again as a trade candidate for a team that desperately needs help in its secondary.
Bill Barnwell connects former Giants safety to potential Bills trade
Bill Barnwell of ESPN recently proposed 13 trades that make sense ahead of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, which is less than three weeks away, and the rumor mill has already started.
Everyone, of course, wants to know which wide receiver the Giants will trade for, and don’t worry, Barnwell addresses that in his piece, but one of the trades he included had Pinnock, who is with the San Francisco 49ers this season, heading to Buffalo.
The proposed deal had the Buffalo Bills acquiring the former NY safety and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2027 sixth-rounder. While Pinnock has struggled with the Niners this season, San Francisco has dealt with a plethora of injuries. The Bills need as much help as they can get from their secondary, as they are suffering injuries of their own.
Buffalo's safeties Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp have struggled in coverage and tackling this year. Damar Hamlin is currently on injured reserve, which limits the table-smashers' options in the secondary and opens the door for the 26-year-old to come in and make an immediate impact.
He has started five games this year in San Fran, but hasn't been productive, totaling 17 tackles (12 solo) and not significantly impacting the defense outside of that. In fact, he fell out of the lineup last week as the team preferred Marques Sigle, Ji’Ayir Brown, and Malik Mustapha at safety.
Everyone wins with this deal, as Pinnock gets a change of scenery and an opportunity to start on a contender, the Bills get the secondary help they need, and the Niners add draft capital and move on from their temporary option at safety.