Let’s go to the film and see what we can learn
The New York Giants have signed former Miami Dolphins’ safety Jevon Holland to a three-year, $45.3 million contract with $30.3 million guaranteed to fortify Shane Bowen’s secondary, opposite promising second-year safety, Tyler Nubin.
The Giants now have Nubin (23) and Holland (25) at safety with Tae Banks (24), Paulson Adebo (25), and Dru Phillips (23) as the starting corners in nickel. Cor’Dale Flott (23) is the third outside cornerback with one year left on his deal. New York has quietly assembled a promising youthful secondary to complement the pass-rushing trio of Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Holland was a team captain for the Miami Dolphins and played for three different defensive coordinators. He spent arguably his worst season in Anthony Weaver’s defense in 2024 and one year with Vic Fangio in 2023. Prior to Fangio, his first two seasons were with Josh Boyer.
I would contend his two seasons with Boyer were his best two as a professional. He was tasked with multiple assignments in every system, but Boyer had him as the middle-of-the-field closed safety more than the two-high structures of Fangio and Weaver.
Holland possesses the athletic traits to execute any assignment of a safety. Man coverage, deep half, single-high, quarters-read, buzz/robber, and he frequently assumed man responsibilities from depth. His plate was full and he did not disappoint, albeit his 2024 was a down year; he missed 17.1% of his tackles (12 total) and failed to haul in an interception for the first time in his career.
He has 16 career passes defended and six interceptions to go with his nine and ten passes defended from his two seasons at Oregon.
The Holland contract immediately caused debate among Giants’ fans, since Xavier McKinney’s contract had an average annual value of $16.75 million over four years, and Holland’s was $15.1 over three million. McKinney expressed some discontent on X after the Holland signing was announced:
“You thought last season was impressive … okay bet watch this , you ain’t seen s*** yet.”
Confusion is understandable. Why would the Giants give Holland – a lesser player than McKinney – a contract that’s close in average annual value? Perhaps Joe Schoen acknowledged his mistake? Maybe Bowen needs a quality veteran to start on the backend? Or, perhaps, several small instances – and one major ATV accident – rubbed Giants’ brass the wrong way and they decided McKinney was expendable at that price. I’m not insinuating that’s the case, but it’s safe to say safety value is NOW important to Schoen, and we shouldn’t forget he spent a top-50 pick on it last season.
McKinney is a sensational player coming off an eight-interception season and a First-Team All-Pro bid. Holland is not that player. Still, Holland is 25 years old, has extensive experience handling many assignments, and is a significant upgrade over Jason Pinnock.
As you’ll see in the video below, Holland is not a perfect player. His technique — specifically tackling — suffered in 2024 and his play strength is only average, which is disappointing for a player with his frame. However, he’s a good football player who will allow Bowen to run any concept imaginable on the back end. Please enjoy the breakdown below and like, comment, and subscribe!
