The New York Giants have made it a point this offseason to improve their defense after it struggled last season. From adding Pro Bowl safety Jevon Holland, cornerback Paulson Adebo, and edge rusher Chauncey Golston, Big Blue should have a vastly improved defense when the 2025 season rolls around.
Those additions will undoubtedly go nicely with the likes of Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, and Dexter Lawrence, who are already proving to be elite pass rushers. While Burns and Lawrence already got their big paydays, Thibodeaux may be next if he strings together a productive and healthy 2025 campaign.
But with the third-year edge rusher expected to be the next player to get a hefty contract from Joe Schoen and Co., this fellow linebacker—who is not talked about as much—deserves equal treatment.
Is linebacker Micah McFadden the Giants' most underpaid player heading into free agency next season?
In an article for Bleacher Report, Brad Gagnon listed linebacker Micah McFadden as the Giants' most underpaid player following what he calls "peak 2025 free agency." The 25-year-old was drafted by New York in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and has panned out well in the NFL thus far.
"Malik Nabers is obviously dramatically underpaid based on his magnificent rookie season, but he still makes solid money as a top-10 pick. Instead, we’ll go with a steady starting linebacker coming off back-to-back triple-digit-tackle seasons who is finishing up a rookie contract with an AAV of just $1.0 million a year," Gagnon wrote.
Throughout his three years in the NFL, McFadden has strung together a solid run. Despite just six career sacks, McFadden is coming off perhaps his best NFL season, recording a career-high three sacks along with a career-best 107 total tackles. And yet, he hasn’t been talked about much on a Giants defense that already features a stacked and talented pass rush led by the aforementioned Thibodeaux, Burns, and Lawrence.
Bobby Okereke’s presence also naturally cuts into McFadden’s production, but you could argue that breaking out despite that makes McFadden’s efforts even more impressive. Some might consider it cheating to put rookie contracts on the list (they have no real say), but regardless, McFadden is blowing his $1 million contract out of the water.
It remains to be seen whether McFadden will receive a new contract from the Giants next offseason, but he is certainly the most underpaid player on the squad.