The New York Giants signed free agent safety Jevon Holland to a three-year, $45.3 million deal last month in what was seen as a surprise move. They weren’t really in the market for a big-ticket safety and the addition of Holland sideswiped some experts considering the Giants has other pressing needs to address this offseason.
Holland, a former second round pick of the Miami Dolphins out of Oregon back in 2021, is a young veteran at age 25 and is seen as an ascending player. His four years in Miami yielded no playoff experience, a trend he hopes to change with the Giants.
Monday was Holland’s first day on the job with the Giants as the team assembled at their New Jersey facility. He finally got to formally meet many of his new teammates. He liked what he saw.
“It’s clicking,” Holland told reporters. “Everybody is cool here. Everybody is a good time. Everybody is chill. It’s day one It’s not like we’re doing anything crazy. It’s a workout, introductions, and everybody is just here. It’s a new year, a fresh start. Everybody is ready to get to work and excited to be a part of this.”
Holland is a versatile safety who started 57 games as a pro and is known for his ability to disrupt pass plays in the secondary. He has played both safety positions in his career and will be paired with second-year player Tyler Nubin in what the Giants hope will develop into a solid tandem.
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“I’ve been in a lot of different systems in my career. It’s not necessarily that I like one more than the other,” Holland said when asked how he will fit in the Giants’ defense. “It’s just about the flow of the team, the personnel, who we have that kind of fits around how I’m going to be able to help and where we need help. I wouldn’t say that I’m looking for one specific role or one specific position, but more so finding me a place where I can help the most.”
Holland was surprised when it was mentioned that current Giants general manager Joe Schoen said the Buffalo Bills were considering taking Holland in the first round when he was with Buffalo in 2021.
“That’s news to me, man. I would love to have a motivating answer for you that just, like, wow, this guy is lighting a fire under his ass, and he can go, but unfortunately, I didn’t know. I didn’t think I was going in the first round,” he said. “I thought I was going to the second round, or something like that. I kind of had a feeling. My agents were just like, think the second day. If you go in the first day, that would be dope, but pretty much the second day. I was like, Cool.
“I think I went around where I should have gone. There was some speculation just because of 2020 I didn’t play, but we saw how that didn’t even matter. It would have been cool, but no, second round.”
Holland appears to be another player the Giants have brought to create a positive culture. He is happy to be here and wants to win. Is there anything else?
