Safety Xavier McKinney played every defensive snap for the New York Giants in the 2023 NFL season. However, he will not play a single game for New York in 2024: The former Alabama defensive back will leave in free agency to join the Green Bay Packers.
McKinney’s current contract with the Giants expires at 3 p.m. CDT Wednesday, and the Packers want to sign him to a four-year, $68 million contract, NFL Network and ESPN reported on Monday.
At 11 a.m. Monday, players with at least four seasons of NFL experience and expiring contracts could start negotiating with other teams, and Green Bay immediately targeted McKinney.
Derrick Ansley, the Packers’ defensive pass-game coordinator, was Alabama’s defensive-backs coach during McKinney’s freshman season.
According to reports on Monday, Green Bay expects to sign former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs in free agency. McKinney and Jacobs were Crimson Tide teammates in both 2017 and 2018.
In 2023, McKinney played all 1,128 defensive snaps for New York, recording 116 tackles, three interceptions, and 11 passes defended. Only three other NFL players reached those three stats in 2023: Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Bates was a Pro Bowler, while Warner and Winfield were first-team All-Pro selections.
McKinney has yet to receive all-star recognition, despite recording 209 tackles and eight interceptions in two NFL seasons free of injuries.
McKinney has played 49 regular-season games for the Giants since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. A foot injury forced him to miss the first nine games of his rookie season. He missed eight games of the 2022 season due to a hand injury.
