The New York Giants have been perhaps the busiest team in the NFL over the past week or so. On the field, though, they managed to pick up one of the most important wins across the league early on in the new campaign, as they bounced back from a crushing Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and picked up a gritty 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Things have been hectic for the team as a whole, but that has certainly been true for rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields. Not only is Fields still finding his way in the NFL, but he now has to adapt to playing with Jameis Winston under center instead of Jaxson Dart, who is out for the rest of the season. In an exclusive interview with Heavy on Giants, Fields opened up on the importance of the team’s first win without Dart, while also taking a peek at the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 video game.
Malachi Fields Sends Strong Message After Giants Take Down the Titans
Pretty much everything went wrong for the Giants in Week 2 after their dominant season-opening victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Not only did Dart suffer a season-ending knee injury, but the offense struggled to move the ball in the wake of his departure. That’s why picking up an ugly win in a rain-soaked clash against the Titans was so important, as Fields believed this was a “prove-it game” for New York.
“It was huge,” Fields admitted to Heavy on Giants. “It was like a prove-it game, so being able to take all the circumstances and continue to move forward, have a great week of practice, and just continue to put the pieces together to go get that win. It was sloppy and rainy. Nothing was perfect in the game, but we got it done, so we’re just trying to continue to build from there and go win the next one.”
A third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Fields has had to stay on his toes early in his tenure with the Giants. As noted above, he’s now working with Winston instead of Dart, and the wide receiver room is constantly changing, with Odell Beckham Jr. being let go of on Tuesday. As a result, there’s been a lot on his plate, but Fields credited his ability to quickly learn the playbook (with some help from the rest of the WR room) with helping him make his leap to the pros as smooth as possible.
“The biggest thing was the playbook … all the personnel, all the different run game stuff that we have to be keyed in on as a wideout,” Fields shared. “It wasn’t as dense in college as it is now. All the guys in the room have done a great job of trying to get me acclimated. It started with (Darius) Slayton and (Isaiah) Hodgins, those guys when I first got in, and then Malik (Nabers) and (Darnell) Mooney, Calvin Austin. All those guys were doing their best to help me, but continue to put in their work as well.”
With Dart going down early in Week 2, the passing game as a whole has struggled as of late, but Fields is already a key part of the offense, having racked up six catches for 74 yards through three games. Individual numbers are great, but according to Fields, his main goal for his rookie campaign is to simply help his team win games. “I just want to make an impact, do whatever I can to help the team win, special teams as well as the offense. Just trying to continue to be consistent and showing up for them every day.”
Malachi Fields Shares Excitement for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Release
Football is obviously Fields’ main priority, but he also has some hobbies on the side that help prevent him from getting burned out. One of those is gaming, with Fields being a big fan of the popular Call of Duty video game series. With the next edition of the series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, set to release on Oct. 23, Fields recently got the opportunity to play the beta for the game a couple of weeks ago, and it sounds like he was impressed with what he saw.
“I’ve definitely been excited for it, mostly because every time a new Call of Duty comes out, all my boys get back on the game, and we have those few months where we’re all in the chat playing together, so I’m definitely excited for that,” Fields revealed. “Playing the beta, the movement was a little bit different than before, and all the graphics and stuff. Everything is super realistic.”
Life in the NFL can be quite busy, especially for rookies, so finding a way to stay in touch with family and friends can become more difficult than before. That’s part of what makes gaming such an important outlet for Fields, as hopping on Call of Duty games allows him to keep up with his family and friends throughout the course of the football season.
“When a bunch of my friends had moved away, getting older, families moving, or whatever, we were able to stay in contact playing Call of Duty,” Fields said. “Just being able to stay connected through the game and have conversations about the game or just about life has been really cool … Being able to still connect and come back to the game is a way to see each other and kind of hang out.”
Fields isn’t the only gamer in the Giants’ locker room, so you can bet that he will be hopping in online lobbies with some of his teammates, too. He doesn’t know exactly who he’ll be playing with yet, but it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise to see him make an appearance on one of Cam Skattebo’s popular video game livestreams in the future. “I haven’t tapped in to see who’s really a gamer yet. I know Skat, he streams a lot, so I’m sure him. Some guys in the receiver room, probably Malik, probably Mooney.”
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