Ar'Darius Washington
Getty
Giants' safety Ar'Darius Washington kept it real when discussing fans' concerns about his size
The New York Giants have been one of the busier teams across the league to begin free agency. After hiring John Harbaugh to be their new head coach, he has unsurprisingly looked to bring several players from his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, with him to the Giants. One member of that group is safety Ar’Darius Washington, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract with New York in free agency.
While Washington has a lot of upside, he has struggled with injuries to begin his career. Beyond that, standing at just 5’8, he is somewhat undersized for the safety position. Washington knows some concerns surround him as he looks to find his way in the NFL, but he isn’t worried about that after putting pen to paper on his contract with the Giants.
Ar’Darius Washington Responds to His Haters
Washington didn’t get selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he ended up latching on with the Ravens. Through his first three seasons, Washington showed promise, but injuries ended his 2021 and 2023 campaigns, while he spent the majority of the 2022 campaign on the practice squad.
Entering 2024, Washington was fully healthy, and he earned a spot on Baltimore’s roster out of training camp. Initially a special teams player, Washington eventually became a starting safety for the Ravens. After tearing his Achilles tendon ahead of the 2025 season, though, Washington missed most of the campaign, although he did make a return late in the year, only for his team to surprisingly not make the playoffs.
Now, Washington is following Harbaugh to New York, where he will look to generate some sort of consistency. As the terms of his contract indicate, the Giants are taking a little bit of a flier by signing Washington. Part of the reason teams are wary of him is his size, but he made it clear that it isn’t an issue for him once he steps on the field.
“That chip has always been on my shoulder. I ain’t just become 5’8. I’ve kind of been small my whole life,” Washington said when discussing his height. “I don’t think about it. Everybody is big to me. Every time I go out there, I just try to have that chip on my shoulder.”
Ar’Darius Washington Aiming to Earn Starting Role with Giants
Ar'Darius Washington
GettyGiants’ safety Ar’Darius Washington kept it real when discussing fans’ concerns about his size
Right now, Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland are the Giants’ starting safeties, but neither of them enjoyed particularly strong seasons in 2025. That has opened the door for Washington to earn a starting gig for himself on defense. Working in his favor is that he can fill several different roles, as Washington has spent time playing as a nickelback, while also working as a safety who plays in the box rather than in a deeper role at the back of the defense.
The biggest part of the equation for Washington is going to involve staying healthy. Assuming he can do that, he should be able to earn snaps for New York on defense in 2026. Sure, he may be undersized, but Washington packs a punch when he hits, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him popping up all over the field for the Giants’ defense when they return to action.