Revealing Which Player Was Named as Giants' 'Worst' Move of Free Agency by Bleacher Report

Not everyone adores the New York Giants' signing of cornerback Adoree' Jackson.

That's right, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report, in his article covering every NFL team's worst free-agent signing in 2021, has some reservations about the Giants' decision to pay the Titans' former first-round pick all that money.

Notes Kay:

Big Blue is now paying a premium for a defensive back coming off a knee injury that cost him 13 games last season. One of the reported reasons for his release was Tennessee's disappointment with his approach to the rehab process, which could be a cause for concern at his next stop.

If Jackson loses a step following the injury, it could severely impact his ability to play at a high level. The cornerback is one of the better athletes at his position, which allows him to make a big impact and atone for any mistakes he might make in coverage.

If the gamble pays off, the Giants will have one of the most feared cornerback duos in the league. If not, they will be learning a rather costly lesson and will have to find a way to shed Jackson's big contract from their books.

To a certain degree, Kay isn't wrong about the injury factor. The Giants, at least up until this year, had stayed away from free agents coming off a significant injury as while sprains and broken bones eventually heal, there is always a chance that a player won't be what he was pre-injury.

But with things loosening up despite the ongoing global pandemic and players being able to fly in for physicals before finalizing contracts, that capability has removed some of the concerns that teams might have had last year in signing players who had injury histories.

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Regardless of what one thinks of the Giants' medical staff, the group has one of the better reputations around the league for its thoroughness.

If there were any hesitation on their part regarding a player's physical status, they would have flagged the issue (as they did with tight end Kyle Rudolph, who was advised to have surgery as soon as possible so he'd be ready for training camp).

Jackson, whom former NFL and NCAA head coach Jim Mora praised in the video above, signed a three-year, $39 million contract that includes a $13 million signing bonus, making the deal worth an average per year of $13 million. If he can give the Giants half of what James Bradberry gave the team last year in coverage, it will have been a worthwhile investment.

As a final point, Kay noted that the Giants didn't avoid "committing too much money to a player who has a high chance of disappointing." If history has taught us anything, it's that big-money free agents rarely are worth what they sign for.

However, at least this time around, the Giants didn't commit to a longer-term deal for the same big-money dollars as they did back in 2016 when they signed three players to longer deals worth millions. This ended up crippling their salary cap for two consecutive seasons once the contracts became too much to bear.

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