Why the Giants Are Being Urged to Trade for Marlon Humphrey

The New York Giants defensive secondary certainly made the shortlist of one of the main reasons why the franchise lost as many games as it did in 2025, especially when it came down to slim leads in crunch time that slipped away in the fourth quarter of certain contests.

With John Harbaugh taking over the ship as head coach, the position group was one of the Giants’ priorities as they began reshaping the roster in his image. That is one whose defensive side relies on aggressive yet highly intelligent football players who can get after it on every down against elite receivers.

While a few free agent signings have helped address that level of new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s crew, there are still mixed opinions on whether the moves truly moved the needle, or if it remains a point of emphasis entering the draft in two weeks.

Fox Sports NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano stands on the latter side of that fence, except with a slight twist in creativity when it comes to how the Giants can add one more key piece to their secondary.

In his new list of one player each NFC team should trade for during the draft, he suggests the Giants make a call to the Baltimore Ravens and entice them into a trade to bring over veteran perimeter corner Marlon Humphrey to East Rutherford.

As part of his mock trade between the two franchises, Vacchiano has the Giants sending the Ravens their fourth-round selection (pick 105) along with a conditional seventh-round pick in 2027.

“The thinnest position on the Giants’ roster might be corner, where veteran Paulson Adebo has battled injuries the past two seasons, Deonte Banks has been a bust, and they’re counting a lot on the flier they took on Greg Newsome,” Vacchiano said in his analysis.

“Humphrey, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, will be 30 and carries a $15.25 million salary, so he might not cost more than a Day 3 pick.”

“The Ravens will be OK in the secondary without him. And they could make this a win-win trade if they can entice Baltimore with edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux in a blockbuster deal, too.”

This analysis isn’t exactly the first time that Humphrey’s name has come up around the topic of intriguing trade candidates for the Giants since Harbaugh arrived back in January.

Humphrey, who was drafted 16th overall by the Ravens in 2013, spent his first nine seasons under the Harbaugh regime in Baltimore, which ended with their playoff elimination in the Week 18 finale loss to the Steelers and put the top coach on the Giants’ radar.

Not only would it be a pretty smooth transition for the veteran ballhawk to rejoin his former leader in New York, but he would also bring a shining example to the younger guys of what success looks like within Harbaugh’s system through being a smart, reliable, and versatile coverage man.

The Giants have made it a theme of their offseason signings to partner with several Baltimore transplants who could help establish the winning culture the organization has struggled to maintain.

As with any potential deal of this nature, the same exact question looms: Does it make sense?

Can the NY Giants Afford to Trade for Humphrey?

Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) looks on before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

The simple answer to this bold trade scenario by Vacchiano is no, unless the Giants and Ravens work out an agreement that sends a current player from the former team's ranks to Charm City as part of the overall package.

Beyond that element, the Giants might also be wary of parting with their third-best draft asset, even for a veteran of Marlon Humphrey's caliber, as the return.

They do not own their own third-round pick this year after trading it to the Houston Texans as part of the move back into the first round to select Jaxson Dart last spring.

Three of their seven total selections don't come until the halfway point of Day 3 and will likely be used to select raw developmental prospects, not players who could step into the fire from day one.

As such, the Giants' sole fourth-round choice, which Vacchiano implores them to trade for Humphrey, could prove immensely valuable in recruiting a more talented prospect to fill a key need, such as the receiving corps or the defensive interior, which lacks solid depth.

Likewise, one should doubt that the franchise is pleased with the current makeup of their secondary, which was eaten up in coverage and dealt with another brutal round of injuries last season. Paulson Adebo was one of the Giants' largest 2025 free agent spending, and he regressed as a pass disruptor after leading the league in deflected passes over the previous two seasons.

Given Deonte Banks has been unable to show enough maturity and growth in coverage (allowed a career-high 81.3% completion rate last season), the Giants did not opt into his rookie fifth-year option for the 2027 season and likely aren't comfortable with turning the reins back to him after losing Cor'Dale Flott in free agency.

The signing of Greg Newsome II brings in another veteran with the experience to do battle with the game's best receivers, but the Giants clearly don't have a high ceiling on his potential impact, as evidenced by his one-year deal with the organization.

Humphrey is coming off a down year where he posted the worst coverage grade of 43.8 in the Ravens secondary, but with over 4,700 snaps on his nine-year resume as a pro, he would certainly be a massive upgrade to the Giants position group given his penchant for creating turnovers (23 career interceptions) and playing fairly composed in press-man matchups.

The one likely roadblock would be his contract and that $15.25 million base salary, which is among the top five cap numbers on Baltimore's current roster, per Over the Cap. Big Blue only has $6.4 million in cap space ahead of the draft and needs a good chunk of that to sign its incoming rookie class.

That is where the aforementioned Kayvon Thibodeaux could become the extra trade chip the Giants offer to the Ravens, who lost out on an elite edge rusher after the Maxx Crosby blockbuster deal with the Raiders went sour over a failed physical.

If the Giants were to trade Thibodeaux, his exit would save them $14.75 million and leave them with zero dead money, as all of his guaranteed salary would be absorbed by the Ravens. It would pave the way for an even exchange that enables Humphrey to join the secondary as the bona fide No. 1 option.

Short of that happening, it feels like we might have seen the last of any former or current Ravens trading in the purple uniform for the blue jersey this offseason.

The draft season is always known for crazy surprises, but the Giants are doing things the right way, and after adding veteran talent in free agency, their next cornerback move is more likely to be a young prospect whom they can control for a long time.

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