Packers Make Another Big Splash, Sign Safety Xavier McKinney

Brian Gutekunst didn’t mince his words.

Gutekunst, Green Bay’s general manager, had this to say about his defensive backfield at the end of the 2023 campaign.

“I think we probably weren’t as consistent as we needed to be and I’d like to see that corrected,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “There will probably be some moving parts there next year.”

Piece No. 1 came Monday, when the Packers reportedly agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract with safety Xavier McKinney.

McKinney, 24, spent his first four seasons with the New York Giants. McKinney was rated the No. 4 safety in football by Pro Football Focus in 2023 with top-10 grades in both coverage and box.

In 592 coverage snaps last season, McKinney was targeted 53 times and allowed no touchdowns. McKinney had five interceptions in 2021, three in 2023 and is widely considered an outstanding tackler.

“Pay that guy his money,” Giants running back Saquon Barkley said of McKinney last season. “It could be the Giants. It could be whoever he is. He surely deserves it.”

McKinney upset some by publicly criticizing former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale last season. But the Packers clearly believe McKinney will fit nicely into new coordinator Jeff Hafley’s 4-3 defensive scheme.

“I want a guy who can erase things,” Hafley said. “We have to eliminate explosive plays when we play this defense, so if a run comes up the middle, this guy has to come out of midfield with his hair on fire, he has to be able to take a guy down. I also want him to be a guy, when a ball carrier is wrapped up, he goes and finishes the pile.

“I want a guy who can go from sideline to sideline and take the ball away. I think that position has to be a guy with high ball production, which means he has to be able to intercept the ball. It’s got to be a guy that can communicate and it’s got to be a guy that can line guys up and make some calls there and I’d love a guy that can play man, so I guess I’m describing the perfect player. “For you, but those are some of the traits I would look for when playing that position.”

Safety Darnell Savage, Green Bay’s No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, agreed to terms with Jacksonville on Monday. Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford, two contributors last season, are also unrestricted free agents.

With McKinney, however, the Packers now have a safety around which to build that positional group.