It turns out the NFL was just as surprised as Giants fans when Deonte Banks took a kickoff 95 yards to the house in New York's 34-10 Week 17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. After three years of waiting for the much-maligned cornerback to figure it out, it finally looks like the 24-year-old has a role on the team.
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Banks made the biggest play of his career on Sunday following a Raiders touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett. The score cut the lead to 10, with Big Blue leading 20-10. On the ensuing kickoff, the former Maryland Terrapin stomped out any hopes of a potential Raiders comeback with a kick-return touchdown that garnered some postgame attention.
Immediately after the game, Banks posted on social media that he was hit with a drug test request, with an "Oh nawww," caption written on it:
Deonte Banks on IG pic.twitter.com/iMpeTGxLkJ
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) December 29, 2025
And that's objectively hilarious.
Deonte Banks' highlight reel kick return earns him a drug test
Banks has struggled so much since he was selected 24th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft that the first highlight reel play he actually has, the league was in such disbelief that it felt like it needed to drug test him. You hate to see it.
Imagine doing so poorly at your job so consistently that the moment you do something good, you get a notice from HR saying they need to test you for drugs because it's the only logical explanation for the performance. That's essentially what just happened.
According to Next Gen Stats, he hit a top speed of 21.25 MPH and recorded a total distance of 113.21 yards on the 95-yard return.
Once viewed as the team's next great corner, things have gone off the rails for the once-promising first-rounder. He's been relieved of his starting duties thanks to Cor'Dale Flott and has subsequently been relegated to special teams as a last hurrah... which seems to be oddly working out for the guy.
It's never great when the guy you traded up to draft becomes a glorified return man, but it's better than being the second-lowest graded cornerback in the NFL -- that is, according to Pro Football Focus, who has him ranked 110th out of 111 eligible players with a 39.5 overall grade.
Banks' career never ever truly got going. It's been all downhill since his rookie season. He won't turn his head around in coverage, and his tackling efforts -- or lack thereof -- are astonishing. It's crazy how little effort he puts in on a weekly basis.
He'll be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026; that is, unless the G-Men pick up his fifth-year option (which seems horrifically unlikely).
Maybe his newfound return game bought him a little time. Either way, that drug-test-worthy play might’ve just cost the Giants the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft, and clearly, even the league couldn’t believe he did something that hurtful on purpose. If he's found guilty, maybe the league will forfeit the win and nullify the victory... a fan can dream.
Ball don't lie -- blame it on the performance-enhancing drugs.