After four seasons with the New York Giants, safety Xavier McKinney signed with the Green Bay Packers on Friday as an unrestricted NFL free agent.

His arrival in Wisconsin made McKinney feel he’d made the right choice.

“When I first got to the airport, people were already, like, knowing who I was and wanting to take pictures,” McKinney said.

McKinney picked the Packers after enduring a 6-11 season with the Giants – the third year with six or fewer victories for New York in his four seasons with the team – even though the safety recorded 116 tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in 2023.

“Great organization, great franchise, a lot of history here, a lot of winning,” McKinney said of Green Bay. “Something that I’ve always wanted to do. Something that I done a lot of the time while I’ve been playing football.

“And just the atmosphere, it’s great. This is my first time being here. It takes me back to my Bama days, so that’s a feeling, obviously, that I love. So far, I love it, and it’s going to be fun.”

McKinney played at Alabama from 2017 through 2019 before joining the Giants as the 36th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Two of Green Bay’s greatest players were Alabama alumni – end Don Hutson and quarterback Bart Starr. But in the 2023 season, only one former Crimson Tide player got on the field for the Packers, and running back Kenyan Drake played only five snaps in one game.

McKinney joined former Alabama teammate Josh Jacobs in picking the Packers in free agency this week, and the defensive back’s position coach as a Crimson Tide freshman, Derrick Ansley, is Green Bay’s defensive passing-game coordinator.

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The Packers reached the second round of the NFC playoffs in 2023, when Green Bay’s defense ranked 10th among the NFL’s 32 teams in points allowed.

The Packers placed ninth for passing yards allowed, but only one team finished the 2023 season with fewer interceptions than Green Bay’s seven.

Safety proved a troublesome position for the Packers. No player at the position took more than 70 percent of the defensive snaps. In contrast, McKinney played every defensive snap for the Giants in 2023.

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

The Packers signed McKinney to a four-year, $67 million contract. With a $23 million signing bonus and a $1.45 million base salary, the contract makes McKinney the frontrunner to be the NFL’s highest-paid safety in 2024, although four safeties have contracts with a higher annual average value than McKinney’s.

“I don’t think it’s pressure,” McKinney said. “I’m here to perfect my craft. I don’t really feel any pressure ever. I just try to go out there and play my best and compete. And, like I said, I’m trying to win at the end of the day. I know what that takes to be able to win games and win championships.

“I don’t really ever feel pressure. I know that a lot of these guys in here are super motivated and are hungry, and I’m the same way, so it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a fun time.”

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