One of the top safeties is reportedly off the free agent market, as the Green Bay Packers and former New York Giants defensive captain Xavier McKinney agreed to terms on a four-year deal, his agent David Mulugheta told ESPN.
McKinney’s deal with the Packers will be $68 million over four years.
He replaces multiple Packers safeties on the market this offseason, including Darnell Savage, who agreed to a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier on Monday, the start of the NFL’s legal free agency tampering period.
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Xavier McKinney of the New York Giants warms up for the Jaguars game at TIAA Bank Field on Oct. 23, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
McKinney all but confirmed the deal on X, where he posted, “Say cheese!” in reference to the Packers’ “cheesehead” fans.
The Packers have Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford, two safeties who played significant snaps last season, as free agents.
McKinney, a second-round pick by the Giants in 2020, was not hit with the franchise tag this offseason, suggesting GM Joe Schoen was going to let him go find a new home in the NFL.
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This comes after McKinney set a career-high in tackles with 116 combined last season with three interceptions, 11 passes defended and one forced fumble. He also had two fumble recoveries for New York in a lackluster 2023 campaign that followed a playoff berth in 2022.
McKinney infamously missed eight games during that 2022 season after an ATV accident in Cabo during the team’s bye week caused a hand injury.
Xavier McKinney set a career-high in tackles with 116 combined last season with three interceptions, 11 passes defended and one forced fumble. (Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images)
He ended up returning in time to play against the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round, where he made the game-sealing tackle on tight end T.J. Hockenson late in the fourth quarter.
McKinney’s start with the Giants wasn’t the best, as a foot injury kept him out most of his rookie season. But he exploded on the scene in 2021, totaling five interceptions (one for pick-six), 92 tackles and 10 passes defended.
He now joins a Packers team that’s primed to build on its 2023 season, which saw a wild-card berth turn into a massive upset of the Dallas Cowboys on the road in the playoffs. Led by quarterback Jordan Love, the Packers almost beat the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.
Xavier McKinney of the New York Giants runs out during introductions against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 26, 2022, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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The Packers have a new defensive coordinator in place this season, Jeff Hafley, who will certainly enjoy the talents McKinney can offer his secondary.
McKinney was one of two key Giants that left in free agency, with running back Saquon Barkley agreeing to a three-year deal to join the Philadelphia Eagles.
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