NEW UPDATE:Xavier McKinney’s murky future with the Giants hasn’t changed much since the Rams matchup

The final games of a losing season are about different things to different players and, for those on expiring contracts, it is often about the impending reality that these are their last games in a certain uniform.

Is that the case with Xavier McKinney and the Giants?

It certainly could be.

The 24-year-old safety should be ascending and entering the prime of his career, but he might be heading elsewhere, even though he and inside linebacker Bobby Okereke have proven to be invaluable pieces to the Giants’ defensive puzzle, never, ever coming off the field.

Both players have logged 1,001 snaps this season, 100 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps.

Unless there is a tweak or an injury, McKinney will not come off the field Sunday, when the Giants face the red-hot Rams at MetLife Stadium

The Rams, surging with wins in five of their last six games, are 8-7 and currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff bracket.

The Giants, back down to earth with back-to-back losses, are 5-10 and will see their consecutive-season playoff run ended at one year.

McKinney has his hand in almost everything for the Giants on defense, which is why it is difficult to envision the unit moving on without him, especially after another starting safety, Julian Love, exited in free agency last offseason to sign with the Seahawks.

The decision, as is almost always the case, will come down to dollars and sense.

McKinney, graded as the No. 11 safety in the league by Pro Football Focus, will want big bucks

The 2024 franchise tag for a safety projects to between $16 million and $17 million, and that is not a salary the Giants have in mind for McKinney.

There have been bumps in the road but McKinney is playing the best ball of his career since he arrived as a 2020 second-round pick from Alabama.

He missed nearly half the season in 2022 after an all-terrain vehicle accident while vacationing in Mexico during the bye week caused serious damage to the fingers on his left hand.

This season, he criticized the communication with the defensive coaching staff following the Week 9 loss in Las Vegas, a comment that caught the attention and the ire of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.