The New York Giants have pretty much cut bait on cornerback and 2023 1st-round pick Deonte Banks — the biggest signal being they declined the $12.6 million 5th-year option on his contract on May 1.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes the best option for the Giants might actually be to trade Banks to a cornerback-needy team, and do it for whatever they can get back, which might end up being pennies on the dollar in the form of a 2027 Day 3 draft pick.
“The Giants may not be eager to trade a recent first-round pick for a Day 3 selection,” Moton wrote on July 14. “However, Banks is unlikely to regain a starting role in the secondary. Big Blue signed Greg Newsome II and drafted Colton Hood in the second round this year. Last offseason, Banks lost a starting job on the boundary and played a bigger role on special teams. He returned a kick for a touchdown in Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders. As the Giants turn the page on his days as a starter, another team may show interest in giving him a second opportunity to compete for a lead position.”
Deonte Banks Seemed Like Can’t-Miss NFL Prospect
Banks looked like a prototype NFL cornerback coming out of Maryland at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds and with 4.35-second speed in the 40-yard dash.
“Perimeter corner with desired blend of size, strength and athleticism,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2023. “However, he struggles to play with poise and awareness when his back is to the football. He needs to play with better route anticipation and reactive quickness at the break point, but his eye-popping NFL Scouting Combine testing and scheme versatility should create interest from a wide range of NFL teams. Banks has first-round traits and could become a CB1 if he can play with better discipline when challenged.”
Banks was a full-time starter in his 1st 2 seasons and 1 of the NFL’s worst-graded cornerbacks both years, according to Pro Football Focus, and started just 6 games at cornerback in 2025 after 20 combined starts in 2023 and 2024.
Giants Not Exactly Brimming With Talent
The better option for the Giants might be to keep Banks for his special teams prowess — a legitimate career path forward for him if he’s truly cooked at cornerback.
It’s also not exactly like the Giants are a team that should let go of anyone with any value at this point. Even if Banks is destined to be a backup, that’s valuable depth walking out the door the Giants will almost certainly need down the road.
The Giants could have made all of this a moot point had they used either of their 1st-round picks at No. 5 and No. 10 overall on a defensive back — instead they selected Ohio State off-ball linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese at No. 5 and Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.
Drafting either LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane (No. 6 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs) or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (No. 11 overall to the Dallas Cowboys) seems like it would have been a more prudent choice — especially because the Giants already had 3 former 1st-round picks on the roster at edge rusher with Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Giants Trade Pitch Deals Disappointing Former 1st-Round Pick