When the Giants opted not to use the franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley this offseason, there was a chance that safety Xavier McKinney could get the tag to keep him off the free agent market.

But in a somewhat surprising move, the Giants didn’t tag McKinney, either, and now the 24-year-old is set to become a free agent -- unless the Giants can get a new deal done with him prior to the start of the league new year on March 13.

McKinney, a second-round pick in 2020, was a guest on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, explaining that he and the Giants have remained in communication on potentially coming to terms on a new deal.

"Obviously, we’ve had talks and we’re tying to figure something out," McKinney said. "I’m pretty much being as open as I can. I’ve expressed it as much as I can that I wanted to be back, but ultimately it’s not really all up to me. It’s something that we both have to come to a mutual agreement [on], and hopefully we can get something done, but if not, I understand it’s a business, so I have to see it that way and take it that way."

McKinney also thought there was a chance that the Giants would tag him, but said that he was "grateful" that they didn’t. By not tagging McKinney, the Giants appeared to show some good faith in continuing to negotiate a longer deal.

He made it clear during his interview with Adams that he wants to stay in New York, but a deal has to make sense for both player and team.

"Obviously, it has to make sense. That’s the biggest thing for me," McKinney said. "Like, yeah, I’ve expressed that I want to be there and I do want to be there, I do want to be a Giant, but obviously at the end of the day it still has to make sense, the money has to make sense… Like I said, we’ve been talking and in communication and trying to figure it out as best we can, so hopefully it can get done. But I can only control what I can control and see what happens."

McKinney has proven himself as a playmaker on the back end of the Big Blue defense, picking off nine passes with 27 pass break-ups over the course of his four seasons. But injuries have played a big role in his development, as he played just six games as a rookie in 2020 and nine games in 2022.

With that in mind, McKinney says that he is still getting better as a player, and that whoever signs him next will see an even better version of him.

"I think even if you look at my career now, even with some of the injuries that I’ve had, I really haven’t played a full four seasons," the safety explained. "I’ve only really played two seasons, and one of those two seasons, the first three or four games I was splitting reps.

"So, if you jut look at my career so far and how much I’ve played, there’s still so much more that I have. I tell people this all the time, that I haven’t even scratched the surface of who I am as a player. I think I’ll just continue to grow and get better… the sky’s the limit. I truly, honestly believe that.”

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