Will wide receiver Malik Nabers make his long-awaited return for the New York Giants on Sunday? The answer is still unknown, but the former first-round pick might have given a hint about it on Thursday.
Nabers is coming off a torn ACL and meniscus that he suffered last September, but he and the Giants have been noncommittal on whether he will be ready to go for their Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys. On Thursday, the wide receiver was adamant that he would decide whether he plays or not, but pointed out that he has to consider his long-term health.
“I’ve been wanting to play for so long now. At the end of the day, I can’t put my career at risk. I got to take that into account,” Nabers told reporters. “There’s a lot of football that I still have left to play. Making this decision on when I think I’m able to go out there and perform rather than just going out there, the coaches know and I know that I have a lot more football to play.”
"I've been wanting to play for so long now. At the end of the day, I can't put my career at risk. I got to take that into account. There's a lot of football that I still have left to play."
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) September 10, 2026
– Malik Nabers pic.twitter.com/OBHEXQXZpy
Nabers also adamantly reminded everyone that the decision to play or not would ultimately lie with him, because “it’s my career.” This was taken by some as a suggestion that Nabers is actually leaning against suiting up.
This is the line where for the first time Malik Nabers made me question if he’ll play. https://t.co/UQOJp8LJ0K
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) September 10, 2026
The Giants have been just as evasive as Nabers when discussing the likelihood of him playing Sunday.
Nabers is correct that he has to consider his long-term health when making the decision. The fact that he put so much emphasis on that is certainly cause to wonder if he wants to take it slow, even if he does badly want to play. He is, after all, just 23, and has shown immense promise before his injury.
As a rookie in 2024, Nabers caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns, and finished top five in voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year. His injury ended his 2025 season after just four games, but the Giants have him penciled in for a large role in 2026.
