The New York Giants made a tough but necessary call this week when they declined the fifth-year option on cornerback Deonte Banks, a decision that sends a clear message: performance matters.
For NFL teams, the May 1 deadline to pick up or decline fifth-year options on 2023 first-round picks is always a pivotal moment. This year, 20 players had their options exercised, two signed long-term extensions, and nine—including Banks—were told to prove themselves before earning that guaranteed money.
Banks' trajectory has been a steady decline since he entered the league. As a rookie in 2023, he flashed real promise: two interceptions, 11 passes defended, and 64 tackles in 15 starts. But the arrow pointed down in 2024, when he failed to record a single pick while managing 52 tackles and one forced fumble in 14 starts.
The real trouble came in 2025. The Giants stripped Banks of his starting role after signing veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo to a three-year, $54 million deal and promoting Cordale Flott to the other outside spot. Banks appeared in 16 games but started just six, recording only five passes defended, zero interceptions, and 31 tackles.
The numbers tell an even starker story. According to TruMedia, Banks' passer rating allowed when targeted has worsened every season: from a respectable 67.5 as a rookie to 90.6 in 2024, then plummeting to a career-worst 111.8 in 2025. That ranked 206th out of 208 NFL players with at least 35 passes thrown their way last season—a staggering fall from grace.
For context, the fifth-year option for a first-round pick is a fully guaranteed one-year salary based on performance and position. Players with multiple Pro Bowl selections earn the franchise tender amount; those with one Pro Bowl get the transition tender. Banks, who has never made a Pro Bowl, would have cost the Giants $12.633 million fully guaranteed for 2026.
Declining that option wasn't just about the money—it was about accountability. In the NFL, regression doesn't earn rewards. Banks now enters a prove-it year with everything to play for. Whether he can rediscover his rookie form or continue to slide will define not just his career, but the Giants' secondary plans moving forward.