Giants tight end attends Knicks game despite illness ruling out draft-implications matchup vs Cowboys

New York Giants choky extremity Theo Johnson attended a New York Knicks crippled connected Friday nighttime contempt being ruled retired for the team’s Week 18 crippled due to the fact that of an unwellness connected the aforesaid day.

Johnson, 24, did not play successful the Giants’ 34-10 triumph successful Week 17 implicit the Las Vegas Raiders owed to an illness, and did not signifier each week. NFL fans took to societal media, speculating if the Giants were holding Johnson retired nether the guise of an unwellness to assistance vessel for a higher draught pick.

The second-year choky extremity added substance to the fire, reposting a representation of himself connected the Madison Square Garden jumbotron and captioning it, "I americium not sick."

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New York Giants choky extremity Theo Johnson (84) practices earlier the crippled astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, New Jersey, connected Dec. 21, 2025. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)

The Giants said Saturday that Johnson has an infection, which is designated arsenic an unwellness connected the wounded report, but helium doesn’t person the flu oregon COVID, meaning helium tin beryllium astir others without being a risk. Johnson was archetypal listed connected the wounded study with an unwellness past Friday.

"He’s conscionable inactive got a small spot of sickness and conscionable corruption that we’re conscionable moving through. So he’s conscionable benignant of trying to cleanable it up, spot wherever it goes," Interim caput manager Mika Kafka said of Johnson, according to The Athletic.

With a nonaccomplishment past week, the Giants would person secured the No. 1 wide prime successful the 2026 NFL Draft careless of Week 18 results. However, they blew retired the lowly Raiders, meaning that Week 18’s results person large draught implications.

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New York Giants choky extremity Theo Johnson (84) makes a drawback against Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during the 2nd fractional astatine Ford Field successful Detroit, Michigan, connected Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (IMAGN)

If the Giants bushed the Dallas Cowboys connected Sunday, they could driblet arsenic acold arsenic No. 7 successful the draught order. If the Giants triumph and the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Washington Commanders lose, they volition driblet to No. 7.

If the Browns, Titans, Cardinals, Jets, and Commanders triumph their respective games, a Giants triumph would beryllium little consequential. For example, if the Browns and Titans win, and the Cardinals, Jets and Commanders lose, past the Giants would driblet to the No. 5 spot with a triumph implicit the Cowboys.

If the Giants lose, they inactive person an extracurricular accidental of getting the No. 1 pick. For the Giants to get the No. 1 wide pick, they would request the Raiders to win, and 2 of the pursuing 4 things to happen: The Seattle Seahawks bushed the San Francisco 49ers, the Browns bushed the Cincinnati Bengals, the Atlanta Falcons bushed the New Orleans Saints, oregon the Chicago Bears decision the Detroit Lions.

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Those 4 games each interaction the team’s spot of docket compared to the Raiders.

Regardless, if the Giants suffer to the Cowboys, the lowest they tin prime is No. 2 overall. With a triumph endangering the team’s chances of a apical pick, Johnson’s attendance astatine the Knicks crippled was notable, arsenic fans questioned whether the choky extremity had an unwellness astatine all.

Johnson, who has 5 drops this season, has flashed immoderate playmaking ability, with 45 catches for 528 yards and 5 touchdowns successful 15 games.

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