The New York Giants are hoping to both land a skilled and experienced player while beating out their divisional rivals as well.
According to NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport, New York hosted free agent safety Nazeeh Johnson on Thursday at its facility, a day after Johnson visited arguably the Giants’ biggest rival, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnson, a seventh-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft, played 29 games over his first four seasons with the team that drafted him. He has 66 tackles, three passes defended and one sack in 29 games, and six starts, over his NFL career.
Nazeeh Johnson Has Super Bowl Pedigree But Has Battled Injuries
Johnson on the roster for three Chiefs teams that reached the Super Bowl, and he played in their 38-35 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII and their 40-22 loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LIX.
Johnson mainly played special teams during his first Super Bowl run with the Chiefs but was a defensive contributor in 2024. He had two tackles in three playoff games with KC in 2022 while playing 49 special-teams snaps during the postseason.
But in 2024, Johnson had six playoff tackles in 54 defensive snaps, and 46 special-teams snaps, but only played one defensive snap in the Chiefs’ championship-game loss to the Eagles.
Injuries stunted Johnson’s ability to play more playoff games. He missed the entire 2023 season after sustaining a torn ACL sustained during training camp, which is why he has a second championship ring but did not dress for or play in the Chiefs’ 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
Last year, Johnson played only two games, the Chiefs’ losses to the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders in Weeks 17 and 18, while battling a shoulder injury. He sustained the injury in Kansas City’s second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, which cost him the first 15 games of last season.
Nazeeh Johnson May Want to Go Back to the Chiefs
The Giants will certainly want to land Johnson over the Eagles, but it’s possible the safety will end up back where he started.
“I think [the Chiefs] are going to bring me back,” Johnson told the Winchester Star in February. “I can test the market and see how much I’m valued, but the Chiefs know what I can do. We can’t have communication right now because of the [free agency rules], but I have a good understanding with them. They know my talent level.”
To Johnson’s point, the Chiefs did not make substantial offseason moves to their coaching staff.
Still, it’s possible Giants brass could view Johnson differently than Kansas City did, since he was confined mainly to special teams. If John Harbaugh and Co. sell Johnson on competing for defensive snaps either at safety or cornerback, the Giants could land the special-teams standout.
“It’s just seeing how other teams value me. Do other teams see me as a safety, do they see me as a corner, a nickel?” Johnson said. “But the thing I can rest my hat on is that I’m a special teams person. I can make plays on special teams, and I’m also someone that can play defensive snaps.”
Giants Host Former Chiefs 2-Time Super Bowl Champ Free Agent for Visit