Deonte Banks

Career StatsB

Year	Team	GP	INT	PD	Tkl
Career		45	2	28	147
2025		16	0	5	31
2024		14	0	12	52
2023		15

Season	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT	PD	Grade
2025		16	31	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%
2024		14	52	0.0	0	—	B B Top 29%
2023		15	64	0.0	2	—	B- B- Top 38%

Grades reflect the player's performance in each season. Header grade shows the current season.

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Giants locked up a solid piece of their secondary at an extremely team-friendly price, making Deonte Banks' four-year, $13.6M extension a clear steal in today's inflated cornerback market. At just $3.4M annually, Banks is being paid well below what serviceable starters typically command at his position, especially considering the deal comes with full guaranteed money that eliminates financial risk for New York. The timing works perfectly for both sides — Banks secures generational wealth early in his career while the Giants buy out his remaining rookie years plus one additional season at a fraction of what he'd cost in free agency. With cornerbacks of his caliber routinely earning $8-12M per year, this contract structure gives New York massive salary cap flexibility to address other roster needs while maintaining defensive continuity. Banks' B CVI reflects excellent value creation for the franchise, as they've essentially locked up a reliable starter at backup money through his prime developmental years.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the B band — a quick read on where Deonte's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Per-game impact for Deonte Banks pencils out to a B performance grade. Banks entered the 2025 season as a third-year cornerback tasked with justifying a first-round investment, and while the grade reflects above-average capability in coverage, the 31 tackles across 16 games in the 2025 season underscore a player whose consistency and disruptive playmaking have lagged behind first-round expectations at a premium defensive position. His tackling volume — the strongest statistical output available — demonstrates durability and on-field presence, yet it masks a broader coverage problem: the media narrative highlights just two interceptions and 28 passes defended across his three-year career, a production shortfall that has crystallized organizational doubts and triggered the Giants' decision to decline his fifth-year option. At 25, Banks remains capable of solid starter-level play in the secondary, but he has not yet translated his draft capital into the elite or franchise-caliber performance that would silence the "bust" conversation now dominating the discourse around his tenure. The Giants' recent roster moves — adding proven receivers and defensive linemen — signal a front office more committed to reinforcing other areas than to betting on Banks' further development, positioning him heading into 2026 as a player on thin ice rather than a building block, despite the B grade suggesting floor-level competence rather than disaster.

How Deonte Compares at the Position

Deonte Banks ranks 60th of 270 graded cornerbacks by performance. That slots Deonte between Montaric Brown (B) just ahead and Upton Stout (B-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Deonte Banks enters 2026 as a cornerstone disappointment for the New York Giants, with media and fan sentiment decidedly negative following the organization's decision to decline his fifth-year option. The narrative surrounding the third-year cornerback has shifted from developmental prospect to cautionary tale, with multiple outlets questioning whether he can salvage his career in East Rutherford. His modest career statistics—2 interceptions and 28 passes defended across three seasons—have failed to justify early draft capital, and the Giants' front office has effectively signaled a lack of confidence in his trajectory. Banks now faces a critical 2026 campaign where he must prove he belongs in the NFL, but the prevailing media tone suggests skepticism rather than optimism about his ability to turn things around. Without a dramatic performance turnaround, Banks risks becoming a cautionary example of early-round cornerback selection misses in the modern NFL.