Giants could withhold Xavier McKinney's salary after injuring hand in ATV incident during bye week
Giants Safety Xavier McKinney at the training facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 26, 2022. Credit: Patrick E McCarthy
Players are supposed to come back from the bye week rested and rejuvenated.
Xavier McKinney returned to New Jersey injured.
The defensive captain and safety, who has played every defensive snap this season, announced on Monday that he will miss “a few weeks” of action after suffering a hand injury in an accident while riding an all-terrain vehicle in Mexico during the team’s break. The Giants placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list, meaning he will be sidelined for at least the next four games.
In a tweet, he said he was in Cabo and “joined a group for a guided sightseeing tour on ATVs. Unfortunately, I had an accident and injured my hand. The injury will keep me sidelined for a few weeks.”
He went on to write that he will “do everything I can to get back as quickly as possible so I can contribute to what we’re building here in NY.”
A source told Newsday the injury is a fracture. With McKinney on reserve/NFI, the Giants have the right to withhold his salary. He is due to earn about $305,000 over the four weeks. Upset as they are at McKinney, it is unclear if they will dock him, given the relatively little money that represents and the desire of the organization to foster goodwill with what it sees as a foundational player.
The 6-2 Giants have two winnable games against the Texans and Lions before they jump into the most important stretch on their schedule with four straight games against division opponents. That span begins on Thanksgiving in Dallas and then a home game against Washington on Dec. 4. McKinney will miss those games but could return for the Eagles game on Dec. 11.
With McKinney out, the Giants likely will have Julian Love and rookie Dane Belton as their safeties. Love already was starting beside McKinney and has blossomed into a key performer. He likely will take over the role of receiving the plays from the sideline and calling the defenses in the huddle, a task McKinney took over in training camp. Belton missed most of training camp with a fractured collarbone but has become a strong rotational player.
They also have former Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins on their practice squad. Collins has been used in a hybrid linebacker role in the two games in which he has played for the Giants this season.
Last week, before McKinney’s injury, Love spoke about the depth of the Giants’ defense.
“In the successful defenses that I’ve been a part of my whole life, even dating back to college and all that stuff, it has taken not only the ‘stars’ of the team to be making plays but it takes guys to step up in the crucial situations,” he said. “That’s what it has been for us . . . Guys keep flashing all over the place. Guys need to continue to flash and be staples on this defense, on this team, for us to be successful.”
The Giants have been one of the league’s most injured teams this season. Their players have missed a total of 121 games, according to the website ManGamesLost.com, which tracks such data. Entering this past weekend, only the Seahawks had more.
General manager Joe Schoen last week praised the coaching staff for helping the team win despite those setbacks.
“I think they’ve done a hell of a job with the amount of players we’ve had come in and out of the building since the start of the season, whether it was due to injuries or just trying to upgrade,” he said. “They continue to answer the bell and get those players ready. Some of those guys went out there and played meaningful snaps for us and helped us get to where we are today at 6-2 . . . The coaching staff, and the pro scouting staff, have done a great job of bringing players in that have answered the bell when their number was called.”
Now they’ll be asked to put together a defense without one of their most important players.
Notes & quotes: DL Nick Williams (biceps) was placed on injured reserve Monday. He started seven of the eight games this season for the Giants and had 15 total tackles . . . Shane Lemieux was designated for return and can begin practicing with the team Tuesday. Projected to start at guard, he has been on IR since suffering a foot injury in the preseason.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
