This Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles will be the New York Giants’ 2023 season finale.
It will also be the final time many of the players on the current roster will wear the vaunted red, white, and blue of the Giants.
Here are seven players who could be playing their last game for the Giants this Sunday.
CB Adoree' Jackson
Adoree’ Jackson’s contract will expire in March and he will be an unrestricted free agent. He has played well at times but will likely be too expensive for the Giants’ blood and they want to get younger in their back seven.
Plus, the Giants have overpaid Jackson for years and could be looking to turn the page on him as he was signed by the previous regime.
S Xavier McKinney
If the Giants were planning on keeping Xavier McKinney, it would have made sense to have already extended him. Since they haven’t, one can only suspect that they are willing to allow him to test the free-agent waters this offseason.
McKinney was not a Joe Schoen draft pick and last year’s off-field injury that cost him half the season has to be sticking in the craw of ownership.
He could come back if the price is right, but all signs are pointing away from that even with McKinney’s strong performance this season.
WR Sterling Shepard
Schoen called Sterling Shepard one of his favorite players before the season and brought the 30-year-old back on a one-year deal to provide some veteran leadership to the young receiver corps.
That may not be needed going forward and who knows how much Shep has left in the tank to justify a roster spot in 2024.
WR Parris Campbell
Parris Campbell’s Giants career is, in effect, already over as he has been a healthy scratch the last four weeks.
The Giants took a one-year flyer on Campbell in hopes he could build on his strong 2022 with the Colts but he never quite fit into their plans once Wan’Dale Robinson proved to be healthy.
OL Justin Pugh
Justin Pugh was proud that he was able to come ‘right off the couch’ and play competitively on the field this season.
Good for him for feeling that way. He’s a good guy to have in the locker room and a professional all around. Unfortunately, while the spirit was willing, the flesh, at times, was not.
Pugh got pushed around pretty good in some games and the Giants would be better off with a younger, healthier option on their roster.
They already have that in-house and will likely add a few more this offseason.
RB Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley will be in the same boat he was last year at this time — no contract and eligible for the franchise tag again.
The tag doesn’t seem to be in his future this time as it is projected to be around $11.5 million for running backs. The Giants will likely not agree to that, so if they plan on bringing Barkley back, they have to work out a deal before free agency opens in March.
Barkley, on the other hand, wants to stay in New York but he’s gotten a taste of the business side of things and may simply seek the best deal for him. That probably won’t come from the Giants.
QB Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Taylor will be 35 in 2024 and will cost the Giants around $5 million on a one-year deal. There will be a market for him, especially with the dearth of quarterback depth in this league and the way Taylor handled himself this season. He threw for 319 yards against the Rams last week.
Unless Schoen selects a quarterback in next year’s draft to add to a room that still has Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito under contract for the next three years, bringing back Taylor makes sense. But can they afford him?
