Former New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney spoke his mind on social media after recording his seventh interception of the season in Week 12. One post in particular seemed to catch the attention of his ex-fanbase — but not in the way you’d expect.
“I deserve it all,” McKinney wrote on X, months after general manager Joe Schoen and the Giants elected not to even attempt to match his contract offer in free agency.
Needless to say, McKinney and Schoen have been on totally opposite trajectories since then, as one is playing out a career season with the Green Bay Packers and the other has drawn heavy criticism for building a roster that is now 2-9.
With that in mind, Giants fans flooded McKinney’s mentions after this post, but to share love and support rather than jealousy or anger — feelings that sometimes occur when players leave in free agency.
“Coming from a Giants fan, you absolutely do! Happy for your success!” One NYG supporter replied.
Another well-liked Big Blue response read: “You’re getting it all 💯.”
“Hate that you left but love to see you going off with another team 😭😭,” a third NYG fan wrote. And a fourth said: “Letting X walk because of [Daniel] Jones is something we don’t talk about nearly enough.”
Several others praised McKinney after viewing this message — which already has over 13,000 likes — but the more concerning reactions from a Giants organizational perspective targeted Schoen.
“I hope you told Joe Schoen to go [expletive] himself on the way out,” one popular comment expressed. Another user was more subtle, advising: “I’m no football expert, but safe to say talent doesn’t grow on trees. When you find it, don’t let it walk away.”
Giants’ Decisions to Let Xavier McKinney & Saquon Barkley Walk Have Become Black Stain on Joe Schoen’s Resume
As one of the fans above commented, the decision to pay Jones backfired in more ways than one. Outside observers often reference the Jones contract in relation to running back Saquon Barkley — being that the Giants franchise tagged the latter during the same offseason they extended Jones.
Having said that, Jones’ deal also hamstrung them when it came to McKinney. Now, there were other moves that factored in as well — like the trade and extension that yielded edge rusher Brian Burns — but at the end of the day, Schoen didn’t feel as though the Giants could afford to keep Barkley and McKinney.
So far, the immediate outcome of those decisions has been a code red.
“Joe Schoen may have let the NFL MVP in Saquon Barkley AND the Defensive Player of the Year Xavier McKinney leave in the same offseason for nothing,” New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard stated on November 25.
He added that the Giants’ culture appears to be gone with them, among others, calling this a “damning reality” for Schoen and Big Blue.
Xavier McKinney’s Interception Total Highlights ‘Another’ Giants’ Deficiency
Through 12 weeks of the 2024 regular season, McKinney has accumulated 7 interceptions. That’s a career-best for the 26-year-old safety, who only recorded 9 interceptions total over his four seasons in New York.
McKinney did post 5 interceptions in 2021, his highest amount with the G-Men.
Of course, with the way things are going for Schoen and the Giants this year, McKinney’s interception total highlights yet another “damning” statistic. B/R Gridiron shared the side-by-side comparison on November 25, placing McKinney’s seven INTs next to an NFL record that no franchise wants.
“[The Giants have played] 10 games in a row without intercepting a pass,” B/R Gridiron relayed. They added that 10 straight is “tied for [the] longest streak in NFL history.”
Big Blue ranks dead last in 2024 interceptions with 1. McKinney’s new team, the Packers, are tied for seventh with 11.
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