Giants can’t afford another Xavier McKinney-like nightmare with upcoming FA

Sitting at 2-11, with seemingly every key player on their roster either underperforming or stuck on injured reserve (IR), the New York Giants aren’t exactly brimming with hope these days.

Their playoff chances are squashed, their quarterback room might be the least inspiring in the league, and their leadership team couldn’t motivate a vacuum to clean. To put it bluntly, it’s been a mess—and the misery may not end anytime soon.

Adding to the sting is the departure of Xavier McKinney, who bolted to the Green Bay Packers this past offseason and has been nothing short of a revelation. Through just 11 games, McKinney has snagged seven interceptions, tying for the league lead. His immediate impact? How about picking off a pass in each of his first five games with Green Bay—a feat no one had accomplished since 1970.

Now, it looks like the Packers could potentially have their sights set on yet another young star from the Giants’ roster. Azeez Ojulari, the 24-year-old edge rusher who’s racked up an impressive 22 career sacks, is set to hit free agency after this season. For a Green Bay defense struggling to find consistent pass-rushing production, Ojulari could be exactly the spark they need to turn things around.

Azeez Ojulari can't leave the Giants for the Green Bay Packers in the offseason

Rucker Haringey from FanSided floated the idea of Green Bay swooping in to snag Ojulari from New York, further strengthening the irritatingly efficient Packers:
"Signing a speed rusher like Ojulari would give Green Bay a lot of pass rushing juice on obvious passing downs. That's something the defense lacks currently and desperately needs."

Giants fans have seen this story before. A young defensive stud enters free agency after playing out their rookie contract, only to get picked up by the Green Bay Packers and turn into a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. We're looking at you, Xavier McKinney.

There should be significant PTSD coming from this iteration of the Giants' front office, after losing Xavier McKinney and Saquon Barkley this past free agency.

Losing Azeez Ojulari would be yet another nightmare scenario for a Giants franchise that can’t seem to hold onto its young talent. Watching Ojulari take his talents to Green Bay—where he’d undoubtedly thrive under a defensive system desperate for a pure edge rusher—feels like deja vu. It’s McKinney all over again: a homegrown stud finding another gear after walking out the door.

For the Packers, Ojulari represents a perfect fit. His explosive first step and ability to disrupt from the edge would be a game-changer for a defense that’s been toothless on third down. Pairing him with Rashan Gary could give Green Bay one of the scariest pass-rushing duos in the league.

Meanwhile, the Giants would be left holding the bag—again. With their defense in shambles and no clear replacement for Ojulari in sight, it’s another potential chapter in the saga of missed opportunities for Big Blue. Fans deserve better.

More New York Giants news and analysis