After the major moves NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen made on the first day of free agency, you knew he was going to have to watch his spening for Day 2. Hey, when you hand out $87.5 million in guaranteed money to Brian Burns after trading for him, you've got to save some coin.
With that said, Schoen also had to prioritize bringing in defensive backs, as Xavier McKinney is headed to Green Bay and Darious Williams passed on the G-Men to join the Rams. While that stings, some depth and versatility has been added, with Adam Schefter reporting former Patriots and Eagles safety/cornerback Jalen Mills will be East Rutherford-bound.
Former Patriots safety Jalen Mills reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Giants, per source. A former Eagle now plays for the Giants.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2024
The Giants will be signing defensive back Jalen Mills on a cheap deal
Per the New York Post's Paul Schwartz, this new deal is for the veteran's salary benefit contract, which is worth $1.2 million for 2024. The cap hit is only $985,000. This move is not a 'McKinney replacement' one for Schoen, but Mills experience and versatility can't be ignored.
Mills played both safety and cornerback for the Eagles during his five years in Philly and the exact same can be said for his three seasons in the AFC East with the Patriots. In his eight years in the league, Mills has appeared in 106 games, with 83 starts.
Last season for New England, the 6-0, 200-pounder finished with 45 total tackles, one forced fumble and one pass deflection in 17 games (eight starts). This isn't a splash addition for new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, but Mills' ability to line up at multiple positions is a bonus.
This provides the Giants with some solid depth at both safety and cornerback. In terms of finding a new McKinney-type player for the safeties group, Schoen will be all over that once the NFL Draft gets here. From our chair, either Jaden Hicks or Javon Bullard would be fantastic second-round options. Yes, the Mills contract isn't going to fire up a lot of people, but it makes total sense for Schoen and Co.