Giants safety Jevon Holland named NFC Defensive Player of the Month
The short version
- Jevon Holland named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September, the first Giant to win it since Landon Collins in November 2016
- Led the NFL with four takeaways (three interceptions, one fumble recovery), more than 18 teams entering Week 4
- 91.3 PFF overall grade ranks first among 88 qualified safeties; run-defense grade leads the position, coverage grade is fifth
- Late end-zone interception of Cam Ward preserved a 12-7 lead in a win over Tennessee on Sept. 27, 2026
- Signed through 2027 on a three-year, $45.3 million deal; free agency not until 2028
The Giants safety led all NFL players with four takeaways in September and holds the top PFF grade among qualified safeties through Week 3.
New York Giants safety Jevon Holland has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September after an opening stretch of the 2026 season in which no NFL player produced more takeaways. Holland finished the month with four takeaways: three interceptions and one fumble recovery, a total that stood above every individual player in the league, as Dan Salomone of Giants.com reported.
The scale of the figure becomes clearer set against the rest of the league. Entering Week 4, Holland's four takeaways exceeded the totals that more than 18 NFL teams had compiled on defense, meaning one safety had generated more turnovers on his own than those clubs managed collectively.
Holland has intercepted a pass in each of the Giants' first three games of the season. He added a fumble recovery during the opening month, leaving him with four changes of possession in three games. Each of those plays ended an opposing drive and put the ball in New York's hands.
The monthly recognition also ended a long wait for the franchise. Holland is the first Giants player to receive NFC Defensive Player of the Month since safety Landon Collins earned the award in November 2016, a gap of nearly a decade between winners for New York.
Holland's overall performance has graded at the top of his position through the season's first three weeks. His 91.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked first among the 88 qualified safeties in the league.
The component grades reinforce the breadth of the start. Holland's 93.6 run-defense grade led all safeties, and his 83.9 coverage grade ranked fifth at the position, placing him among the league leaders against both the run and the pass. Interception counts on their own do not show how a defender fares on the rest of his snaps, and Holland's numbers in both areas sit near the top of the position.
Holland, 26, signed a three-year, $45.3 million contract with the Giants in 2025, and the deal averages $15.1 million per season. The agreement runs through the 2027 campaign.
One of the takeaways arrived at the most decisive moment of the month, during the Giants' victory over the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 27, 2026. New York held a 12-7 lead in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter when Holland intercepted quarterback Cam Ward in the end zone, a play that kept the Titans from moving in front. He celebrated the win with cornerback Greg Newsome II.
Because Holland is not scheduled to reach free agency until 2028, the Giants hold his rights through the remainder of this season and one additional full campaign under the current terms. A new contract would not need to be addressed until the deal approaches its expiration after 2027.
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