New York Giants

New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay is reportedly set to play Sunday against the Houston Texans, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported he will receive "significant" playing time.

Golladay has been out since early October with an MCL sprain.

The 2019 Pro Bowler failed to meet expectations in his first year with the Giants in 2021, catching 37 passes for 521 yards in 14 games.

This season, he has just two receptions for 22 yards in four games, and his general effort level has come under criticism. He hasn't exactly taken advantage of the clean slate afforded to him with the hiring of head coach Brian Daboll.

At this point, New York might be counting down the days until it can get out from under his four-year, $72 million contract.

Golladay's injury trouble has meant little for the Giants offense. His return, however, will bolster a passing game that lost Sterling Shepard for the season after he tore his ACL in late September.

In the midst of a fantastic comeback season for the surprising New York Giants, Saquon Barkley won't get a contract extension before the offseason.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Barkley and the Giants have agreed to pause any contract talks until after the campaign ends after the two sides "did not come close" to terms on a new deal during the team's bye last week.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen told reporters during the Week 9 bye the team would be open to extending both Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones, but a deal would have to be reached at that time to avoid potentially having an impact on games:

"We'll talk about it if we want to, we had to get through the trade deadline today and those conversations, then we'll kind of circle up with some strategy meetings as we move forward on contract extensions and if we may or may not do anybody. If I did, this would be the week. I would want to entertain it during the bye week and then I probably won't do anything after that. I don't want anything to be a distraction to the players or the organization. So, if we do something, it would be probably before Monday with any of our guys, I'm not saying him, but when we have those conversations."

It's unclear what sort of compensation Barkley will be seeking in a new deal, but Schefter noted he will likely seek a contract that makes him one of the league's highest-paid running backs.

Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys currently has the richest running back contract by total value ($90 million over six years). Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers leads all running backs in average annual salary ($16.02 million).

Barkley would seem to be in a prime negotiating position based on his performance this season. The Penn State alum ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards (779) and third in yards from scrimmage (968).

This has been a fantastic bounce-back campaign for Barkley. He had 950 yards from scrimmage in the previous two years combined. His 2020 season was limited to two games because of a torn ACL.

The Giants originally selected Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading the league with 2,028 yards from scrimmage. He followed that up with 1,441 scrimmage yards in 2019.

Investing in running backs isn't always a smart strategy for teams. But Barkley has made himself an invaluable part of the Giants offense, so he could be an exception to the rule.

New York is currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 6-2 record. Its six wins are tied for its most in a single season since 2017.

As the Dallas Cowboys pursue Odell Beckham Jr., the NFC East rival New York Giants could also look to sign the free-agent receiver.

"He knows how I feel about him, how we feel about him," Giants running back Saquon Barkley told reporters Friday.

Beckham spent the first five years of his career with the Giants, earning three Pro Bowl selections, and overlapped with Barkley during the 2018 season.

"Personally I think it would be a great story to come back," Barkley said.

The Cowboys have been aggressively recruiting Beckham, with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb recently discussing the wideout. Linebacker Micah Parsons also tweeted at the veteran recently.

Barkley indicated he doesn't need Twitter to talk to Beckham:

Beckham recently discussed potential landing spots with Complex, mentioning both the Giants and Cowboys as well as the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers.

The 30-year-old was a game-changer for the Los Angeles Rams last year, scoring five touchdowns in eight regular-season games. He also scored in the Super Bowl as the squad took home a championship.

Beckham tore his ACL in the title game and has been recovering since, although Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported he was expected to be cleared this week.

The Giants are a surprising 6-2 this season, but they need help at receiver with no one on the roster totaling more than 250 yards. After trading Kadarius Toney to the Chiefs, Beckham could immediately become the team's most explosive pass-catcher and help change the landscape of the NFC East.

New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney told reporters he has no timetable for a return after breaking multiple fingers in an ATV accident during the team's bye week.

"We were on a sightseeing tour. That's what I can tell you. It was nothing that was reckless. ... It was just an unfortunate event that happened," said McKinney, who called the event a "freak accident."

The Giants placed McKinney on injured reserve Monday, which will keep him out for at least the next four weeks. He and the team have been mum on the severity of his injuries.

The 2020 second-round pick released a statement Monday saying he was injured while vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

McKinney told reporters he was unaware riding on an ATV violated his contract and said the organization has not been critical of his actions.

"We didn't get into that. Obviously, they were more concerned about my well-being and my health, and obviously that's what I was more concerned about," he said.

McKinney started the Giants' first eight games, recording 38 tackles, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one sack. He missed the first 10 games of his rookie season because of a fractured foot.

Dane Belton will step into the starting lineup while McKinney is out.

New York Giants defensive back Xavier McKinney announced Monday on social media that he injured his hand in a crash on an all-terrain vehicle during the team's bye week and will be sidelined for several weeks.

McKinney was later placed on the reserve/non-football injury list by the Giants.

The 23-year-old is in his third season with the Giants and has started all eight games this season, registering 38 tackles (two for loss), one sack and a forced fumble.

Losing McKinney is a major blow for the Giants defense. According to Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, the safety has been "a leader and signal-caller on the defense, a respected teammate and emotional spark plug on game days, not to mention one of the best players on a surprising playoff contender."

The Giants, coming off their bye week, are 6-2, two games behind the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and deadlocked with the Dallas Cowboys in a surprisingly deep NFC East.

The defense, which gives up just 19.6 points per game (ninth in the NFL), has played a big part in the team's resurgence.

With McKinney out, rookie Dane Belton could be in line for a bigger role alongside starting safety Julian Love. The team also has veteran Landon Collins on the practice squad, while special teams contributor Jason Pinnock is available for depth but has only played one snap at safety this season.

One of McKinney's best traits was his durability and reliability. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, he hasn't missed a defensive snap since Week 3 of the 2021 season.

While injuries are never ideal, the Giants have a relatively easy schedule the next two weeks with the Houston Texans (1-6-1) and Detroit Lions (2-6) on deck and both at home.

But things tighten up from there with four straight NFC East clashes against the Cowboys, Washington Commanders (twice) and Eagles before a trip to face the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Eve.

That five-game stretch will likely determine whether the Giants find themselves back in the postseason. The team will hope McKinney can return during that stretch.

Free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is still available for teams in need of an upgrade on offense, and the team he began his career with is open to a potential reunion.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen told reporters on Tuesday that Beckham "is a player he’d be interested in considering" when he's recovered from the torn ACL suffered in Super Bowl LVI. The Giants drafted Beckham in the first round in 2014, and he went on to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season.

During his five seasons in New York, Beckham was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2014 to 2016 and he earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2015 and 2016. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in four out of his five years with the team, the lone outlier being when he suffered a fractured ankle in 2017.

Beckham was traded from the Giants to the Cleveland Browns prior to the 2019 season. While he had a solid first year in Cleveland, his career took a turn when he suffered a torn ACL in 2020. He was waived by the Browns last November after forcing his way off the team, and he signed with the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent. The 29-year-old went on to help the Rams win their second Super Bowl title in franchise history.

The Giants certainly could use another playmaker on the outside. Fourth-year wideout Darius Slayton leads the team with 232 receiving yards, but it's star running back Saquon Barkley who gets most of the attention as he ranks first on the team with 28 receptions and 35 targets.

New York lost veteran receiver Sterling Shepard to a torn ACL in Week 3, and his 154 receiving yards still rank fourth on the team through eight weeks. The team also shipped 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs. Sixth-year receiver Kenny Golladay, the team's prized free-agent acquisition last year, hasn't played since Week 4 after becoming a total non-factor within the Giants offense.

Despite their lack of production from the receiver position, the Giants are one of the best teams in the NFC with a 6-2 record. New York is on a bye this week before returning to action on Nov. 13 against the Houston Texans.

The New York Giants dropped to 6-2 on the season with an 27-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field, and the offense did not perform well.

Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 17 of 31 passes for 176 yards and no touchdowns. Darius Slayton led Giants receivers with five catches for 66 yards, while running back Saquon Barkley finished with 20 carries for 53 yards and one score.

The team's poor rushing performance was quite surprising, especially because it ranks second in the NFL averaging 173.4 yards per game, per ESPN.

With the offense sputtering, it's clear the Giants need to add another wide receiver at the deadline, or the offense's struggles moving the ball may only continue. That said, the team's offense was bashed by NFL Twitter following Sunday's loss:

New York undoubtedly needs an upgrade from Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson and David Sills V at wide receiver. Robinson had two catches for 15 yards Sunday, while Sills had one catch for five yards.

If the Giants can add a couple of more pieces around Daniel Jones before the Tuesday deadline, there's no doubt they will be able to contend for a playoff spot.

The Giants enter their bye week with a 6-2 record. They'll be back in action against the Houston Texans on Nov. 13.

The New York Giants are a surprise 6-1 this season, but they could still be sellers at the right price.

According to Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports, the Giants can "expect calls" on receiver Darius Slayton ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline.

The 25-year-old scored his first touchdown of the season in Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and has 11 catches for 166 yards this year, all in the last four games.

New York might be unwilling to part with a productive receiver considering the team's injuries at the position this year. Sterling Shepard is out for the year with an Achilles injury, while Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney have missed significant time this season.

There are still a lot of options when healthy, however, with Wan'Dale Robinson emerging as a go-to option and Richie James playing well with his opportunity.

It could make Slayton expendable, with the team already getting calls before the season about a potential deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Giants were shopping Slayton even before the 2022 NFL draft in April.

The 2019 fifth-round pick could be a valuable addition to another team as a reliable deep threat who has averaged 14.8 yards per catch during his career.

Slayton especially excelled as a rookie with 48 catches for 740 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, although he has struggled to replicate this production over the past three seasons.

The New York Giants are planning to activate offensive lineman Nick Gates ahead of their Week 8 game against the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

Gates suffered a fractured fibula and tibia in the second week of the 2021 season. There were initial concerns his career could be over as a result of the injuries.

Per Raanan, the 26-year-old underwent seven surgeries to repair the damage.

Gates progressed toward his return when he was cleared to practice on Oct. 5.

"I feel good," he said at the time. "It's nice to be back out there on the field, it's nice to run around with the guys. It was a good time. It was a good feeling to be back out there. I didn't think I was going to be back out there this fast."

Given the severity of his injury and long layoff, the Giants might give him a gradual transition to live action. His activation will come at an opportune time.

New York ranks 18th in adjusted line yards and 30th in adjusted sack rate through seven weeks, per Football Outsiders. A unit that has already struggled a bit will have to forge ahead without two starters, Evan Neal and Ben Bredeson.

Head coach Brian Daboll confirmed Bredeson is "week-to-week" with a knee problem, while Neal will reportedly be on the shelf for three to four weeks because of an MCL injury.

Gates, who has practiced at the center and guard positions ahead of his comeback, can provided some needed depth.