New Giants’ safety Bobby McCain : ‘I’m coming here to play’

This offseason, one of the New York Giants’ top priorities was that of building out their secondary. They ended up finding a key figure to join that unit within their own division, signing former Washington Commanders safety Bobby McCain to a one-year contract to join Wink Martindale’s defense. With former safety and team captain Julian Love ultimately choosing to sign a two-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks, the addition of McCain is an even more impactful signing.

“I’ll be playing safety here,” McCain told reporters on Thursday. “I’ll be looking to be the guy. I’m coming here to play. I’m coming here to compete. And I’m coming here to win.”

McCain was originally a cornerback, and has spent some time in the slot the past couple of seasons.

McCain had a successful campaign with the Commanders in 2022, totaling 70 total tackles and notching five pass breakups in his second season with the team. Now moving to a new home in New York, McCain will find himself playing alongside Xavier McKinney, the Giants’ talented fourth-year safety who will look to return to form after missing eight games in 2022 due to a hand injury sustained in an ATV accident. McCain is excited to help him continue to grow.

“He goes and gets the football,” McCain said. “That’s the most important thing out there is the pigskin. He goes. He finds the ball, and the ball finds him.”

Playing for Washington, McCain has a great deal of familiarity with the Giants, playing against them a total of four times — including notching two interceptions and a pick-six against New York’s backup quarterback Jake Fromm in Week 18 of the 2021 season. McCain knows the importance and intensity that the rivalry between the two NFC East foes brings, and he’s excited to take part now from the other end of the equation.

“(In Washington), we knew the games were going to be tough every time we played the Giants, especially this past year,” McCain said. “You could tell things were a little bit different. Especially this past year, things were definitely different. I’m excited to just be here and compete. You can feel the competitive nature when you walk in the building, so I’m just excited to be here.”

Entering free agency, McCain was looking for a good team fit above all else. With some teammates in Washington even referring to him as an “older statesman” for the respect he commanded in the locker room, the ninth-year veteran was excited at the prospect of joining a young Giants squad and acting as a leader and mentor. Above all else, though, the Giants present a destination where players want to buy in and join a winning culture. After years of that sentiment being more hyperbole than fact, it now represents the reality of the Giants’ new era.

“I just felt like it was the best fit, best opportunity for me to come and show what I’m capable of,” McCain said. “I’m just trying to come win and compete.”