The New York Giants felt lucky to have landed wide receiver Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but for Nabers, his path to New York was far beyond luck.
Giants’ Malik Nabers says football saved his life
Per Aidan Smith of On3, the LSU product candidly admitted that football “saved my life,” which has propelled him to approach the game with the severity and focus he has had in his young career during minicamp. He expounded upon his “dream come true” by saying:
“It was the only thing that I felt like I could do with my life,” Nabers said. “It was the only thing that I felt like when I looked on what I wanted to do in the future, it was the only thing I had plans to do. So it saved me and my family’s life. It put my mom in a house that she wants, it changed my life forever. So I’m happy to be here.”
The 20-year-old talent actionized his plan and reaped the benefits of it. He signed his fully guaranteed four-year, $29.2 million rookie deal with the Giants on the first day of their rookie minicamp on Friday, May 10. Nabers’ contract has positioned him to take care of his family and has also secured him for several seasons with the franchise.
Nabers’ rookie contract allowed him to accomplish a lifelong goal
Beyond the money, this year’s second receiver off the draft board also used his motivation to graduate from a cog in the Tigers’ system as a freshman to a 1,000-yard receiver as a sophomore (1,017 REC yards) and a standout junior with 1,569 receiving yards, 14 receiving touchdowns and 17.6 yards per reception in his third and final year at LSU.
His stellar play has allowed him to accomplish the most important thing in his life to date, in buying his mother a house. He’ll be able to do much more should he make good on the Giants’ investment. Nabers is in line to be one of their featured weapons in the offense from the onset of his career.
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