Written by Matt Schneidman, Dianna Russini, Nick Baumgardner and Randy Mueller
The Packers and free-agent safety Xavier McKinney agreed on a four-year, $68 million contract, a source with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Athletic on Monday. ESPN first reported the deal. McKinney was ranked No. 8 on Randy Mueller’s list of the top 150 available free agents in 2024.
Advertisement
It’s the second former Giants player set to leave New York since the negotiating period commenced. Philadelphia agreed to terms with Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley earlier Monday.
McKinney, 24, has been an important piece for the Giants defense since being the team’s second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s coming off a 2023 season where he intercepted three passes and tallied 116 total tackles.
In his four seasons in New York, the safety compiled nine interceptions, 27 pass defenses, 279 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 49 games.
Live updates: Free-agent news from across the NFL
FA tracker: New teams and contract details for the top 150 free agents
Best available players: Who’s still on the market?
Grades: Best and worst of free-agent deals
How he fits
McKinney turns only 25 in August and is one of Green Bay’s new defensive cornerstones under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley. According to Pro Football Focus, McKinney played 464 snaps at free safety last season, 388 in the box and 167 in a slot cornerback alignment. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the NFL Scouting Combine last month that he wants his safeties to be able to play all three positions, so McKinney appears to fit that criteria.
“I’m particular that those guys are all interchangeable,” Gutekunst said. “I think that’s what we’re looking for. I think that really helps your defense from A, being able to be versatile, to just be multiple and flexible so teams can’t get a bead on what you’re doing. The other thing is, as you guys know, particularly defensive backs, you do have a lot of injuries with defensive backs in this league. So guys got to be able to be versatile and do a number of things because you just don’t know what lineup you’re gonna throw out there each week, so in a perfect world, quite frankly, for me, between the two safeties and the nickel, those three guys almost need to be interchangeable completely.”
Advertisement
McKinney was the top safety available on a loaded market at the position and the Packers took an uncharacteristic swing for the fences, securing a star player at their biggest position of need after their top three safeties from last season all hit unrestricted free agency.
He’s coming off a 2023 season where he intercepted three passes and tallied 116 total tackles.
In his four seasons in New York, the safety compiled nine interceptions, 27 pass defenses, 279 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 49 games.
GO DEEPER
Packers release David Bakhtiari
2024 impact
With Darnell Savage Jr. reportedly agreeing to terms with the Jaguars, the Packers will lose their top safety from last season. Their Nos. 2 and 3 at the position, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford, remain without a team for next season as of Monday afternoon. Regardless of what happened with any of those three, the Packers needed to upgrade at safety, especially given the importance of a play-making free safety in one-high defenses Hafley likes. McKinney certainly qualifies as an upgrade over who the Packers had and has the potential to be their most impactful safety in quite a while (since Micah Hyde, Nick Collins even?)
Draft impact for Green Bay
McKinney takes one big need off the Packers’ draft board. Green Bay, a team with a bunch of draft capital, was one of the clubs that figured to potentially look at safety early.
Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean are two players we’ve given the Packers in recent mock drafts (including a trade-up for DeJean in this week’s mock). Nubin, a true safety, is probably out with the addition of McKinney.
DeJean, meantime, is probably still on the Packers’ board somewhere. The former Iowa star can play safety — remember, McKinney is sort of interchangeable there — or corner in the right situation. Some argue against DeJean’s value as a corner, but they do so at their own peril. — Nick Baumgardner, Senior NFL draft analyst
Advertisement
History
The Giants drafted McKinney with the fourth pick of the second round in 2020. He’s only played double-digit games twice in the last four seasons, but in those two years (2021 and 2023) he played in 34 combined games with eight interceptions and 21 passes defensed. Last season, while playing all 17 games, McKinney added a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Not only does McKinney share an agent in David Mulugheta with Packers quarterback Jordan Love, but new Packers defensive pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley was the lead recruited for McKinney when he worked at Alabama, where McKinney played.
GO DEEPER
How Josh Jacobs fits as the Packers' new No. 1 running back
Outlook
It is very unlike the Packers to make two splash signings in free agency, let alone one. And not just splash acquisitions, but ones of players among the top 10 free agents available in McKinney and former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. McKinney gives the Packers someone who Mueller calls a “traditional free safety” who “transitions without any hiccups and shows sudden burst to close once redirected” while showcasing “great range and the ball skills to make plays when he gets there.” That sounds like someone the Packers haven’t had in a while and someone who could transform their defense into one able to complement Love and Green Bay’s promising young offense. Gutekunst singled out the defensive backfield after the season for needing improvement and McKinney helps the cause as he prepares to join two-time All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander as the stars of Green Bay’s secondary.
Required reading
- NFL free agency rankings 2024: Top 10 players at each position
- NFL beat writer mock draft 2024: Trades shake up top 10 picks and QB landscape
(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)