NY Giants grades for biggest free agency moves including the Brian Burns trade

Saving money by letting Xavier McKinney go to Green Bay

While the Giants were able to pry Runyan away from Green Bay, the Packers got one over on New York after Tommy DeVito almost ruined their season in 2023, signing star safety Xavier McKinney to a massive four-year, $68 million contract.

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. So be it.

Moving forward, the Giants will likely hope Dane Belton can slot into McKinney’s role, and look to the NFL Draft to bring in some help for their secondary. There’s a bevy of exciting options, but it’s clear the Giants are building this defense from the inside-out, and McKinney’s high price tag moved him out of the team’s range. 

Grade: B+