The Green Bay Packers made one of their biggest free-agent moves in years when they handed safety Xavier McKinney a four-year contract in 2024.
Two seasons later, the gamble looks increasingly difficult to question.
Pro Football Focus ranked McKinney as the No. 3 safety in the NFL entering the 2026 season, trailing only Kyle Hamilton and Derwin James.
The ranking came with an acknowledgement of the risk Green Bay accepted when it went to the top of the safety market.
“Paying safeties big money doesn’t always work out,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote.
McKinney has provided a pretty convincing exception.
PFF credited him with a 90.9 overall grade since 2023, second only to Hamilton among safeties over that stretch. His 94.9 coverage grade leads the position, and his performance in 2025 showed another area of his game beginning to catch up.
McKinney Made Packers’ $67 Million Deal Pay Off Quickly
GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 12: Tee Higgins #5 of the Cincinnati Bengals is tackled by Xavier McKinney #29 and Nate Hobbs #21 of the Green Bay Packers in the game at Lambeau Field on October 12, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
McKinney’s contract is worth $67 million over four years, including a $23 million signing bonus and $23 million guaranteed.
The deal has an average annual value of $16.75 million.
Green Bay didn’t have to wait long to see a return.
McKinney started all 17 games during his first season with the Packers and immediately produced the best statistical year of his career. He finished with 85 tackles, 11 passes defensed and eight interceptions, tied for the most games with an interception in the NFL that season.
His eight picks were also the most by a Packers player since 2009.
That performance earned McKinney first-team AP All-Pro honors, making him the first Green Bay safety to receive first-team recognition in 24 years.
McKinney also became the first player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to record an interception in each of his first five games with a new team.
The quick production helped remove much of the hesitancy that typically accompanies a headlining free-agent contract.
McKinney Added Another Dimension in 2025
GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 27: Derrick Henry #22 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball while being tackled by Xavier McKinney #29 and Edgerrin Cooper #56 of the Green Bay Packers in the second quarter at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The interception total came back to earth in 2025, dropping from eight to two, but McKinney found other ways to make an impact.
He recorded 107 tackles and 10 passes defensed across 16 starts. Voters elected McKinney to second-team AP All-Pro, giving him All-Pro recognition in each of his first two seasons with Green Bay.
PFF’s latest evaluation points to his work against the run as perhaps the biggest development.
McKinney earned a career-best 82.9 run-defense grade last season and missed only 3.5% of his tackle attempts against the run. That was the second-lowest missed-tackle rate among safeties in 2025.
It’s an nice turn for a player whose reputation shows what he can do in coverage.
The turnovers made McKinney’s first season in Green Bay difficult to ignore.
The improved tackling and run defense make his overall profile more complete entering Year 3 of the deal.
Safety contracts can become expensive mistakes when the splash plays disappear or coverage performance slips.
McKinney’s interception total already fell significantly last season, yet he still earned another All-Pro selection and now sits third in PFF’s positional rankings.
Green Bay paid McKinney like one of the NFL’s premier safeties.
Because through two seasons, he has played like one.
Packers’ $67 Million McKinney Deal Defies ‘Big Money’ Warning Ahead of Season