Player
Xavier McKinney
S · Packers
It reframes McKinney's career: he wasn't underperforming in New York — he was in the wrong system. The GB move unlocked the ball-hawking ability that was always there.
He left the Giants for Green Bay and immediately produced more INTs in 2 GB years than in 4 NYG years.
TrendMcKinney defensive production by season
| Year | Team | Tackles | Assists | PD | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | NYG | 14 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | NYG | 54 | 34 | 10 | 5 |
| 2022 | NYG | 33 | 24 | 7 | 0 |
| 2023 | NYG | 67 | 38 | 11 | 3 |
| 2024 | GB | 58 | 30 | 11 | 8 |
| 2025 | GB | 55 | 55 | 12 | 2 |
Interceptions per season
| Season | INTs |
|---|---|
| NYG | 1 |
| NYG | 5 |
| NYG | 0 |
| NYG | 3 |
| GB | 8 |
| GB | 2 |
In 4 seasons with the Giants he had 9 INTs total. In his first 2 seasons in Green Bay he already has 10. The 2024 ball-hawking season (8 picks) accounts for most of it — but the consistency is real: his PD totals climbed from 1 → 11 across his NYG career, then 11 → 12 in GB.
Why it matters. It reframes McKinney's career: he wasn't underperforming in New York — he was in the wrong system. The GB move unlocked the ball-hawking ability that was always there.
He finished 2nd in the NFL in interceptions in 2024 — one behind Kerby Joseph.
RareNFL interception leaders, 2024 regular season
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kerby Joseph | DET | S | 9 |
| 2 | Xavier McKinney | GB | S | 8 |
| T-3 | Marlon Humphrey | BAL | CB | 6 |
| T-3 | C.J. Gardner-Johnson | PHI | DB | 6 |
| T-3 | Byron Murphy II | MIN | CB | 6 |
The top 2 INT leaders in the NFL in 2024 were both safeties — Joseph in Detroit and McKinney in Green Bay, both earning All-Pro honors. Three players tied for 3rd with 6 INTs (Humphrey, Gardner-Johnson, Murphy). McKinney's 8 picks in his Packers debut season made him an immediate cornerstone, and Green Bay's pass defense ranked top-10 with him anchoring the deep middle.
Why it matters. Finishing 2nd in the entire NFL in INTs — while playing free safety rather than a ball-hawking cornerback role — validates that McKinney's production is scheme-driven, not a fluke position quirk.
NYG vs GB: same tackle volume, completely different ball production.
SplitCareer totals by team
| Team | Tackles | Assists | PD | FF | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYG 2020-23 (4 yrs) | 168 | 107 | 29 | 3 | 9 |
| GB 2024-25 (2 yrs) | 113 | 85 | 23 | 1 | 10 |
The raw tackle totals are actually *higher* in Green Bay — NYG averaged ~69 combined per season vs. GB's ~99 — reflecting that McKinney now takes on more snaps overall. But the INT rate has more than doubled: 9 picks in 4 NYG years becomes 10 in just 2 GB years. Same player, bigger role, and the pass-coverage opportunities that let him make plays on the ball.
Why it matters. It isolates what changed: not effort or athleticism, but scheme. The Packers' single-high look puts McKinney in the exact geometry where his range turns into interceptions.
He's an All-Pro safety doing it in a coverage-first role — career-best 12 PDs in 2025.
MilestonePass deflections per season
| Season | PDs |
|---|---|
| NYG | 1 |
| NYG | 10 |
| NYG | 7 |
| NYG | 11 |
| GB | 11 |
| GB | 12 |
His 52 career pass-defense events since 2020 rank 3rd among all safeties in that span — behind Jessie Bates (60) and D.J. Reed (56), both of whom play in heavier-coverage roles. The average starter-level safety had 18.9 in the same window, making McKinney's total nearly 3× the safety average across the entire position group. Among the 2020 draft class, Antoine Winfield Jr. (41) is the next-closest safety — 11 behind.
Why it matters. Pass deflections per snap are the truest measure of a center-field safety's coverage impact — it means the quarterback saw him and threw away, or he broke up the play. McKinney's 52 is elite by any standard.
Since 2018, only 2 safeties have had more single-season INTs than McKinney's 8 — and one of them did it in the same 2024 season.
ComparisonSafety single-season INT highs ≥8, 2018-2025
| Year | Player | Team | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Damontae Kazee | ATL | 9 |
| 2024 | Kerby Joseph | DET | 9 |
| 2024 | Xavier McKinney | GB | 8 |
Using depth-chart position to filter to true safeties (FS/SS), only Damontae Kazee in 2018 (9) and Kerby Joseph in 2024 (9) surpassed McKinney's 8 in a single season since 2018. The next tier — Harris (7, 2019), Geno Stone (7, 2023), Kevin Byard (7, 2025) — all finished a pick behind. McKinney and Joseph did it in the same year, the first time two safeties each cleared 8 INTs in the same season since at least 2010.
Why it matters. Eight INTs is an outrageous total for any defender; for a free safety playing over the top, it's historically rare. It marks McKinney as the most prolific ball-hawking safety of this decade.
His tackle assist rate doubled in 2025 — and he's still making the same plays on the ball.
AnomalySolo vs assist tackles, 2024 vs 2025
| Year | Solo | Assists | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 58 | 30 | 1.93 |
| 2025 | 55 | 55 | 1.00 |
In 2024 he finished nearly 2 solo tackles for every assist — the classic center-field profile of arriving first to a ball-carrier after a deep completion. In 2025 the assist total doubled from 30 to 55 while solo tackles stayed flat at 55. The ratio flipping from 1.93 to 1.00 signals a meaningful role shift: McKinney is now taking up his share of gang tackles near the line, suggesting the Packers are deploying him in tighter coverage windows on early downs, not just as a deep safety.
Why it matters. Solo-to-assist ratio is a proxy for where on the field a safety is playing. A free safety rarely gets assists — he's alone in space. McKinney's 1:1 ratio in 2025 tells you he's being used more like a linebacker hybrid.
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