The New York Giants needed an overhaul this offseason. The team needed a refresh after a rocky 2024 offseason that saw them lose Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney, and a subsequent rockier regular season that saw them go 3-14. The staleness in the locker room was palpable and parlayed into its efforts on the field. By all accounts, it was a terrible year to be a member of Big Blue Nation.
The quarterback room was the talk of this past offseason. After shuffling through Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito, the main focus was on completely overhauling and revamping the room to put the G-Men in a better position to compete. Well, mission accomplished. One Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart group later, this team did exactly that.
However, that wasn't the only area needing to be addressed.
The secondary needed just as much help, and Joe Schoen clearly knew it. Two of his first big free agency moves were aimed directly at fixing the defensive backfield, bringing in Paulson Adebo and Jevón Holland. Adebo’s coming off a tough leg injury, but it’s Holland whose impact could prove most valuable for Big Blue. Don’t just take my word for it—Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently praised the move in their latest piece, giving the grade a resounding “A.”
Giants' Jevón Holland signing gets 10s across the board
The Giants desperately needed help in the secondary as McKinney’s departure for Green Bay was felt Day 1. Rookie Tyler Nubin did an admirable job of filling in, and he figures to be a big part of this defense moving forward, but he could only do so much without a proper running mate.
Schoen threw a three-year, $45.3 million deal at the former Miami Dolphin in the hopes of squashing the void left by McKinney. Holland’s 2024 season wasn’t necessarily spectacular, but there’s reason to believe he’ll bounce back. Knox, even in retrospect, still believes this move was just as good now as it was when they originally put pen to paper:
"The Holland signing looks just as good in retrospect. By making him an early offseason priority, the Giants were free to address other critical needs early in the draft and take a best-player-available approach with the third overall selection," Knox wrote.
"New York's early draft haul of Dart, pass-rusher Abdul Carter, defensive lineman Darius Alexander and running back Cam Skattebo was one of the most impressive of draft weekend. Grade: A."
While the sole signing of Holland was smart in and of itself, it was really the domino effect it had on the remainder of the offseason. The DB group of the 2025 NFL Draft was viewed as deep. Picking up a Pro Bowl-level safety early in the offseason allowed Schoen and Co. to avoid unnecessarily wasting a pick on a position of need, rather focus on a best player available approach during draft night.
The results look like a resounding success. Carter, Jaxson Dart, Alexander, and Skattebo give this team some real rookie firepower. Who knows what direction they could have gone in had they not added Holland in free agency? Maybe they don't trade back into the first for Dart. Maybe they don't give Dexter Lawrence a running mate in Alexander. Who knows?
And to a greater extent, who cares? Holland was BR's second-ranked player on their 2025 free-agency big board. Grabbing a player of his caliber at $15 million per season is just good business. Schoen and the Giants will need all the help they can get as they look to navigate one of the most daunting upcoming seasons any team will face.