Andru Phillips rookie contract figures with New York Giants revealed after NFL Draft
Following Andru Phillips‘ No. 70 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, his rookie contract numbers have been revealed.
According to Spotrac, the former Kentucky Wildcats star will sign a four-year rookie deal worth approximately $5.974 million. As a third-round draft pick, Phillips’ rookie deal won’t come with a fifth-year option for the Giants, which means unless they extend or re-sign him, he’ll become a free agent after the 2027 season.
Giants select Phillips in third round
Phillips’ spent this past season as the Wildcats’ starting outside cornerback, where he recorded 4 tackles and four pass breakups during 11 appearances. A former three-star recruit from South Carolina, the former legacy recruit left Lexington with 79 tackles and nine pass breakups.
He is the latest Kentucky defensive back to be drafted after the Green Bay Packers spent a 7th round on Carrington Valentine last April. He credits Kentucky defensive backs coach Chris Collins for helping him develop, who now has six defensive backs drafted under his watch.
“Coach Collins knows what he’s doing, man,” Phillips said during the pre-draft process. “Being around him for three years, he’s impressive. He knows what he’s talking about, and at the same time, he’s a great teacher within the game. Each year he’s prepared me more and more to get to this stage. It’s trickling down to the young guys. He’s bringing a good culture to Kentucky in that DB room.”
What experts are saying about Andru Phillips
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein broke down how he expects Phillips’ attributes to translate to the professional ranks.
“Phillips’ tape features a high number of both completions and drops that should have been completions, but that could change in a different scheme and with additional experience. He’s still green, with just two years of real game experience, and often played too loose in Kentucky’s zone cover schemes. Phillips lacks the anticipation to contest catches at a high enough rate from zone but does have the athleticism to play more man coverage, with the tools to stay sticky on routes.
“He’s an ardent run supporter with excellent toughness but needs to finish tackles at a higher rate. Scheme fit might be critical, along with proving he can play from the slot, but his best football could be ahead of him.”
On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.