4. S Xavier McKinney
After Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants were dealt another blow, as star safety Xavier McKinney signed a massive four-year, $68 million contract with the Green Bay Packers. While it would’ve been nice to keep a young, homegrown asset like McKinney on the team, Schoen took an approach similar to Barkley with the stud defensive back. It’s evident Schoen doesn’t believe in overpaying for what he considers a non-premium position in the NFL, and unfortunately for McKinney, that includes the safety spot on defense.
The Giants survived 2022 while McKinney sat with a non-football injury, and last season, while tumultuous at times for the team’s defensive leader, McKinney showed he was deserving of a big contract. Alas, the Giants weren’t in the position to tie that much money to a safety, and felt it’d be best utilized elsewhere.
In Green Bay, McKinney will be asked to become a bonafide stud for their defense. Will he live up to that billing? It remains to be seen, but safety’s have shown to be replaceable over recent seasons in the NFL, so his accentuated price tag might not be worth it in 2024.