On the final Sunday of the NFL’s 2023 season, New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney intercepted two passes in a 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Among those who took note of the performance was Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur. Only the Tennessee Titans had fewer interceptions than the seven by the Green Bay defense in 2023.

When free agency opened in March, the Packers reeled in McKinney with a four-year, $67 million contract that included a $23 million signing bonus.

“You rely on the safety for so many things,” LaFleur said while attended the NFL’s annual meeting. “First of all, just the communication in the back end is absolutely critical, making sure we get all 11 on the same page. And that’s usually the last line of defense. You get past the safety, there’s nobody left.

“And I love just his ability to make plays on the ball. You’ve seen it over the course of his career, but in particular the two plays that stick out to me were in the Philly game where he makes an unbelievable interception on the sidelines, and then the very next (Eagles) play, they try to run a screen and he dissects the screen and jumps in front, picks off the ball — like back-to-back plays, two interceptions. Anytime you have a guy that can take the ball away, that’s what you’re looking for in all your players, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”

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In addition to three interceptions, the former Alabama standout had 116 tackles and 11 passes defended last season. Only three other NFL players reached those numbers in those three stats in 2023 – Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Bates was a Pro Bowler, and Warner and Winfield were first-team All-Pro picks.

McKinney also had two fumble recoveries in his takeaway total.

“I just think he’s a unique player to become available,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “He’s 24 years old, one of the top safeties in the game, a guy that can be a game-changing type player. He kind of fits into the criteria we’re looking for in a free agent, not only as a player but as a leader back there. Obviously, extensively scouted him through college and liked him quite a bit coming out. He’s done nothing during his time in the NFL to change that. Again, not a lot of these guys become available, so when they do, I think it’s important for us to kind of go down that road and see if we can acquire them.”

Safety proved a troublesome position for the Packers last season, when no player at the position took more than 70 percent of the defensive snaps.

Since he joined the Giants from Alabama in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, McKinney has played in 49 regular-season games. A foot injury caused him to miss the first nine games of his rookie season. A hand injury sidelined him for eight games in the 2022 season. But in 2023, McKinney played all 1,128 of New York’s defensive snaps.

“Certainly before we got him there were definitely some holes at the safety position in regards to a guy that’s proven himself,” LaFleur said. “We’ve got some young guys we’re excited about, but just having a veteran presence that’s been able to play at a really high level. I think he’s one of the better safeties in the league, obviously, by how much he got paid. His ability to take the ball away, I can’t emphasize that enough.”

Of the three players who saw the most action at the back of the Green Bay secondary in 2023, Jonathan Owens signed with the Chicago Bears and Darnell Savage Jr. signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, and former New Hope High School and Auburn standout Rudy Ford remains an unrestricted free agent.

After McKinney, the most experienced safety on Green Bay’s current roster is Anthony Johnson, who played 303 defensive snaps in 12 games, including four starts, after joining the Packers in the final round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The other three safeties have played a combined 40 defensive snaps in NFL regular-season games.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.