The legal tampering period opened up on Monday at noon, meaning free agency is here and the league is going wild. With the New York Giants letting safety Xavier McKinney walk, he plans to sign a massive deal with the Green Bay Packers.
A Look at Xavier McKinney’s Contract Details
Exactly four hours after the tampering period, Adam Schefter reported that the Packers were signing McKinney on a four-year deal. The deal should keep McKinney in yellow and green until he’s 28; he will be 24 years old when signing.
Here’s everything we know about the contract, which was confirmed by his agent David Mulugheta:
- $68 million ($17 million per year)
- $25 million in Year 1
According to Over the Cap, McKinney is the fourth highest-paid safety in the NFL by average per year behind Derwin James, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Antoine Winfield Jr. James makes $19 million per year while Winfield is on a one-year franchise tag.
McKinney’s deal surpasses Jessie Bates III and Harrison Smith’s, who both make slightly over $16 million per year on their deals.
McKinney isn’t the only major free agent the Packers have come to terms with, as they also have plans to sign running back Josh Jacobs before releasing Aaron Jones.
Significance of McKinney Joining the Packers
The Packers went into free agency with a need at safety. Darnell Savage, Jonathan Ford, Zayne Anderson, and Christian Uphoff are all pending free agents. Additionally, Savage has already signed a new deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With all those guys leaving, it leaves just Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, and Anthony Johnson Jr. at safety. McKinney will immediately start at free safety.
McKinney was the second-best safety in free agency, according to PFN. He’s ranked behind Winfield while being ahead of Kamren Curl, Justin Simmons, Kyle Dugger, and Quandre Diggs, among others.
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In four years with the Giants, McKinney played in 49 games, starting 46 of them. He totaled 279 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 27 pass deflections, nine interceptions, and one touchdown.
According to Pro Football Focus, McKinney had the highest coverage grade of any player in the NFL when lined up at free safety. He was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He hasn’t earned any NFL awards yet in his career.
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