New York Giants’ reasoning for not tagging Xavier McKinney revealed

The New York Giants chose not to place the transition tag on impending free agent safety Xavier McKinney, which will allow him to enter the open market next week when free agency begins.

The Giants, of course, can still sign McKinney to a long-term deal before the league new year begins on March 13, but that seems unlikely now. They’ll have to outbid the rest of his potential suitors in the open marketplace.

Even if the decision to not use the tag on McKinney turns out to be a poor one, the Giants won’t walk away empty-handed as CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reminds us.

If McKinney got a deal the Giants couldn’t/wouldn’t match, they’d lose the player with no compensation as well as miss out on a future compensatory pick. Transition-tagged players no longer count in that formula.

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 6, 2024

Ah…people forget that transition-tagged players are no longer included in the draft pick compensation formula if they are signed away by another team.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen did himself a solid by not tagging either McKinney or running back Saquon Barkley this offseason.

If the team can’t lure either one of them back for the 2024 season, they could be looking at significant picks — possibly third-rounders — being awarded to them in 2025.