7 players fighting for their Giants futures in December

2. Xavier McKinney

Since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, safety Xavier McKinney has established himself as a leader within the Giants defensive unit. However, McKinney is in the final season of his rookie contract and needs a contract extension. General manager Joe Schoen had previously gone on record to say that the team would not look to extend McKinney during the season, but with the season nearing an end, the time to discuss the safety’s future with the team has come.

McKinney has been a reliable player for the Giants throughout his career as a backbone of the secondary. However, he has also had a couple of rough moments over the past two seasons that have put his future with the franchise in question.

First, McKinney suffered an ATV accident last season during the Giants’ bye week, forcing McKinney to miss seven games and nearly losing three fingers in the accident. This season, McKinney made headlines for questioning the Giants leadership and coaching staff, which didn’t sit well with people within the organization.

Despite those two incidents, McKinney has proved his worth as a key piece of the team’s defense. Can a strong performance in December be enough to help the front office overlook some of his past mistakes and offer him a contract extension?