Giants Clear Up Theo Johnson “Illness” Confusion

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson, who was declared out of Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys due to what the team listed as an “illness” that kept him from practicing this week, raised a few eyebrows on Friday night by showing up on the jumbotron at the New York Knicks home game.

Theo Johnson here at MSG for the #Knicks game

He’s out for Sunday’s #Giants game with an illness… pic.twitter.com/0PjjOBv2Qv
— Jared Schwartz (@jschwartz115) January 3, 2026

As it turned out, Johnson, via a story posted on his Instagram account, claimed that he was “not sick.”

That declaration created confusion as to why Johnson, who also missed last week’s road game against the Raiders when the team left him home due to (presumably) the same medical issue, was well enough to attend a Knicks game but not practice or be available for Sunday’s game.

The Giants issued a statement clarifying Johnson’s status, saying that the second-year tight end has an infection, which “is an illness, but not the flu or COVID, where being around other people is a risk.”

Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka told reporters on Thursday before practice that Johnson, “still got a little bit of a sickness and ... infection that we’re just working through.”

Johnson, who last year had his rookie campaign cut short five games with a foot injury, finishes his second NFL campaign having appeared in 15 games and recording 45 receptions out of 74 pass targets (60.8%) for 528 yards and five touchdowns.

He also has five dropped passes on the year, giving him ten over his two seasons in the league.

The Giants' fourth-round draft pick in 2024, Johnson, a favorite target of quarterback Jaxson Dart, has caught 74 of 117 pass targets (63.2%) for 859 yards and six touchdowns in his two NFL seasons.

The Giants are trying to avoid their second consecutive season in which they finish with only three wins in a 17-game slate. Doing so would match their franchise worst mark for a 17-game campaign, which ironically came during the team's 100th anniversary in existence.

They have lost their last nine straight to the Cowboys, their last win coming at home on January 3, 2021, in a 23-19 win to close out the 2020 regular season.

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