They spent big money to sign him after a down year, so the New York Giants will welcome any opportunity for $45.5 million safety Jevon Holland to bounce back in 2025.
The possibility of Holland’s revival has been raised by ESPN, after the site didn’t include Holland in its list of the top 10 safeties in the NFL. ESPN notes how “Holland took a step back during a 2024 season with the Dolphins in which he dealt with a broken bone in his hand, though Holland missed just two games. The Giants, who awarded the 25-year-old free agent a three-year, $45.5 million contract, are banking on Holland returning to the form that put him in the top half of these rankings a season ago.”
The risk the Giants are taking is an expensive one, but Holland, who ranked fifth on the list before last season, boasts the athleticism and range of skills to justify his contract. He’ll also be playing next to a budding star and behind what could be the best defensive line in football, a potentially transformative unit.
Those factors should prevent the Giants from being made to look foolish for their second-most expensive move in free agency this year.
Jevon Holland Has Clear Path Back to Top 10
Getting to play centerfielder behind a formidable front able to put relentless pressure on quarterbacks will be good for Holland. If premium edge-rushers Brian Burns and rookie Abdul Carter, as well as all world nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II deliver, Holland can return to being the ball-hawk he was for the Miami Dolphins.
He snatched five interceptions and broke up 25 passes during four seasons with the AFC East outfit. Those numbers are part of the reason why the Giants paid Holland to replace Xavier McKinney, who left for the Green Bay Packers last year and promptly grabbed eight interceptions.
Another reason was Holland’s versatility. He has multiple tools, including the ability to blitz, like for this sack against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams last season.
Holland blitzed 17 times in the last campaign, per Pro Football Reference, but the Dolphins blitzed him 51 times in 2021. Including sending Holland on the rush 21 times in a game against the Baltimore Ravens that season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Being able to wreck both ends of a passing game is a prerequisite for a top-10 safety. Holland will have the chance to do it all for the Giants, thanks to other gifted players at his position.
Giants Building Something Special in Secondary
It’s not as loaded as the D-line, but the secondary has the potential to be something special for the Giants. That potential comes from adding Holland and an underrated cover corner from the veteran market.
Things are most interesting at safety, where second-year pro Tyler Nubin can be a playmaker. So can an under the radar breakout candidate with a knack for getting his hands on the football.
Add in physical slot corner Dru Phillips, Nubin’s fellow 2024 NFL draft pick who also has appealing upside, and the Giants have a versatile defensive backfield capable of making more big plays than it surrenders.
Turning that theory into reality will require Holland playing like a top-10 star at his position.
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