Xavier McKinney Tweets Cryptic Response Aimed at Giants

The New York Giants shockingly did not put the transition tag on 24-year-old safety Xavier McKinney Tuesday, which signals that he will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

It’s a bold strategy by the Giants’ front office brass, who didn’t franchise tag star running back Saquon Barkley. New York doesn’t have a ton of playmakers at the safety spot, so they’re taking a risk by letting McKinney hit the open market.

The former Alabama Crimson Tide standout took to Twitter/X to voice his opinion about the team moving on.

It’s clear that McKinney isn’t happy with the Giants’ decision and may feel slightly disrespected. The 24-year-old McKinney will have plenty of suitors in free agency as he can do a little bit of everything in the secondary.

Spotrac projects McKinney’s calculated market value as a five-year, $52.4 million deal. The 6-foot defensive back is coming off an incredible 2023 season with the Giants. 

McKinney had 116 combined tackles, 11 pass deflections, three interceptions, two tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, a quarterback hit, and a half sack. He also had a 63.1 completion percentage allowed on targets, a 69.8 pass rating allowed when targeted, and only gave up one receiving touchdown.

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