Xavier McKinney talks ‘business’ that led to Giants exit, making interception history with Packers

Former Giants safety, who now plays for the Packers, Xavier McKinney tackles some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: You’ve made history, intercepting a pass in five straight games.

A: It’s been great. I haven’t gotten too much time to kind of just sit down and really think much about it. I’m going to save that till after the season’s over with. I’m just going to continue to keep striving and continue to push and be better and find ways to keep doing things for my team to help us be successful.

Q: What has enabled you to intercept so many passes?

A: I think just how I go about my business day in and day out, how I go about meetings, how I go about practice … just being super-intentional about all the small details and the little things. Just always trying to find ways where I can improve my game, Sunday after Sunday or [whenever] we were playing, and continue to show up. I just credit that to not getting complacent with where I’m at and understanding that I want to take this thing a lot further than where I’ve already taken it, and just continuing to try to be the best version of myself, for myself and for this organization and my teammates.

Q: If I looked up Xavier McKinney in the dictionary, would I see the word “playmaker” next to it?

A: Probably so. You’ll probably see “discipline” along with that. Just trying to stay consistent in my craft.

Q: What is your definition of a playmaker?

A: My definition is making plays on the ball, and sometimes it’s helping the guys around you be better. I pride myself on not only getting takeaways, but also just making sure that everybody’s clicking on one accord and we’re all on a string. A lot of times when everybody’s on a string and everybody’s playing together and everybody’s clicking all at the same time, that’s when we play our best ball.

Q: How much fun is it being a playmaker?

A: It’s super-fun. My coaches have given me the freedom to … they trust in what I’m telling them and what I see out there on the field, and they’re giving me the reins to be able to just go out there and play freely, and with that, I’ve been able to make plays in a lot of different areas —whether that’s in the middle of the field, whether that’s at half safety, whether that’s in the box. So it’s just kind of given me the reigns to be the versatile player that I like to call myself and just go out there and play instinctually.

Q: Do you think quarterbacks will try to stay away from you at this point?

A: I really don’t know what they’re going to do. Honestly, I hope they don’t. I hope they keep coming my way because obviously that’s going to provide more opportunities for me to be able to make plays. Or if not, I’m going to find ways. Either way, it don’t really matter for me. I’m just going to keep continuing to be myself and continue to keep trying to make these plays on the ball.

Q: You always knew you had this in you, didn’t you?

A: Yeah.

Q: How satisfying or gratifying is it that the world is now seeing it?

A: It don’t make a difference. I don’t do what I do for the world. I do it for myself, I do it for my family and my loved ones at the end of the day. And obviously the organization. I don’t really care about the people that have ever doubted and now they, “Oh, we knew you were going to …” I don’t really care about that, to be honest. I’ve been doing this and I’ve been saying this for a long time. I don’t know where the confusion was. I don’t really care about the outside stuff, man. I’m just trying to be who I am, that’s it.

Q: What can you tell me about Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley?

A: He’s been great for all of us, the way he’s had us prepared week in and week out, how he communicates with us and how transparent he is with us, with the way he’s been [communicating] throughout the games — just asking us if we see anything differently, if we want to play anything differently, if there’s something that we don’t like for that week. Just always being upfront and honest with us, and then, on the back end of it, obviously, always pushing us to be the best defense really ultimately in the league … just kind of making sure that we never really get complacent as a defense and always pushing us to want more and be better collectively.

Q: Which one of your five interceptions was your favorite?

A: I would probably have to say the Cover 2 the very first game from the Eagles, when I was the backside half player making that play all the way on the front side of the formation to the field. That was probably my favorite one.

Q: Who was your first NFL interception against?

A: That was against Dallas, so that was my rookie year [2020]. That year I had a fifth metatarsal injury, I hadn’t played like 10 games. I was on a snap count, and then that last game is when I got my first pick.

Q: Was that against Dak Prescott?

A: I think it was Andy Dalton. … Dak was hurt.

Q: Have you intercepted Kyler Murray yet?

A: I have not. I played him in college, but I didn’t play him in the league, not that I can remember.

Q: What do you remember about playing him in college?

A: Super-electric. Can make plays on his feet. We [Alabama] played him [Oklahoma] in the Orange Bowl when I was in college. Somebody that you always got to account for in the run game, in the pass game. He’s a really explosive quarterback, and it’s hard to contain him. He’s good on the run, he can sit in the pocket and he can make good throws. It’s going to be another good challenge for us as a team and as a defense. But just how any other week how I say we always accept a challenge.

Q: What have you noticed about Marvin Harrison Jr.?

A: He’s a young cat right now, rookie obviously. But obviously he got great genes. He’s already made some really good plays in this league, and I think he’s going to be a star in this league. He’s a guy that can run routes, he’s a guy that’s got speed to him and he has a great catch radius. It’s going to be fun going against him for the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last time.

Q: Have you ever intercepted Aaron Rodgers?

A: No, I have not intercepted Aaron Rodgers before.

Q: Who are some of the quarterbacks you haven’t intercepted that you’re looking forward to intercept?

A: (Laugh) I’m on a mission, so for me, whoever I haven’t intercepted, my target is on that quarterback, so whoever that is.

Q: What’s your mission?

A: My mission is to get everything that I haven’t gotten in the past — whether that’s Pro Bowl, whether that’s All-Pro. I think the sky’s the limit. There’s a lot of things that I’m obviously aiming for, I don’t mention all of them. But I’ll just keep my head down and just continue staying the course and continue to be present and taking it day by day and just keep working on what I’m trying to get to.

Q: You feel like you’ve been overlooked for a while now, don’t you?

A: Yeah, for sure.

Q: Why do you think that is?

A: I don’t know. Sometimes it’s a situation. I do understand that plays a big role into it. It’s just a lot of different factors that I could speak on, but to be honest, I honestly would rather not really speak on it. Those things I kind of hold to internally. I’m self-motivated, so it doesn’t really drive me. But it’s still in my memory bank, and I kind of know what it is, so I just kind of almost keep that in the back of my mind whenever I get tired out there on the field, or if I think we need a play on this drive, or we might need a play on that drive … or if it’s in practice and I need to do something better, those are the things that I resort back to. … You got overlooked here, you got overlooked here, so what are you going to do to surpass those moments and be able to push through?

Q: Do you believe you’re in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation right now?

A: I don’t really know, honestly. I don’t really pay too much attention to that stuff. Everything is going to work out exactly how it should and how it always does. I don’t worry about the personal stuff too much, I’m just trying to focus on my craft and helping my team be better.

Q: What did you know about Vince Lombardi before you joined the Packers?

A: I knew a little bit about him, obviously. When you think football, you think the NFL, you think Vince Lombardi. He’s a big part of this game that we play, he’s a big part of this league that we’re in.

Q: What are Packers fans like compared to Giants fans?

A: I would say both fans are very passionate about their respective teams, organizations. Obviously Giants fans are super-passionate about Giants football, and Packers fans are super-passionate about Packers football. The thing that I love about here the most is just how welcoming all the fans are here. Ever since I got here I felt at home. I felt it from not only just my teammates and organization, but I felt it from the fans, and that’s always like a super-important piece when things are not going well or where you would want them to go, you know that your fans are still going to be there, and I felt that every step of the way since I’ve been here. It’s just great knowing that, and it gives you a good feel just knowing that the fans are always going to have your back regardless of what the outcome is.

Q: Do you miss New York?

A: I miss the city. I think it’s one of the best cities in the world. But I love where I’m at now. I think in my life this was the best place for me to be, and I can just get back to focusing on my craft. Everywhere I go, whether that’s out to eat or even when I’m going to the gas station. I realize how nice everybody was. I was able to adjust to that super quickly. I felt at home ever since I got here, and I’ve loved it since I stepped down here in Green Bay.

Q: Is it easier to focus in Green Bay?

A: For sure. I can lock in fully on my craft. It’s like being back in college when I was at ’Bama, that’s kind of the vibes that it gives me. For me, that’s a great feeling, so I love it.

Q: Do you get any sense of satisfaction at all that you wanted to be a Giant for life, but Giants GM Joe Schoen decided that he didn’t want you to be?

A: I don’t really think that was the case necessarily. I got a good relationship with all of the staff that’s still there with the Giants organization. It’s always going to be love there. I never have any hard feelings or really anything bad to say to say about them in that organization. Obviously they’re on their own mission, and I’m on mine. I’m a part of this Packers organization now, and I’m looking forward to doing what needs to be done here and accomplishing these goals while I’m here.

Q: What would you say to Giants fans who say, “Damn, why did we let a 25-year-old stud go in his prime?”

A: Sometimes it’s business. Everything in business is not going to go always how you want it to go. That’s with anything in life. Everything isn’t always going to be perfect, and sometimes if you’re a fan or whatever the case may be, sometimes you’re not always going to get what you want, sometimes it don’t work like that. It is what it is, and we move forward, we move past it and life continues. What they got going on in that organization’s going to continue regardless of if I’m there, if I’m not.

Q: From your Instagram: “My temperament bipolar. I choose violence.”

A: That means I’m on a mission. And I think the people that know me well, and obviously the ones that are close to me, they know what exactly my mission is, and they know exactly how I feel. Like I said, I’m going to keep that all internal. I’m going to keep proving week in and week out what kind of player I am and what type of person I am.

Q: Another one: “I ain’t backing down for nothin. Ima back ’em down like Shaq.”

A: That one’s self-explanatory. Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] was in the post, nobody could stop him. And even when they fouled him, nobody could stop him. Mentally, and from a mindset-wise, that’s exactly how I feel. Obviously I’m not as big as Shaq (chuckle), but mentally, that’s how I feel. I’m going to continue to just chop down on my craft, continue to find ways where I push myself to be that much better so I can’t be denied.

Q: How surprised were you that Saquon Barkley ended up with the Eagles?

A: I think that everybody’s got to do what they feel is best for themselves. That’s what I’ve learned about the business part of it, and I understand that everybody’s routes aren’t the same. Everybody has their own pathway and everybody has a certain direction that they want to go. Me and Saquon, we still talk to this day. He had to do what was best for him.

Q: Do you think the Giants made a mistake not keeping him?

A: Like I said, that’s their business. I didn’t really get too much into everybody else’s stuff, I just worried about what I had going on and still respecting and loving everybody else’s decision however that went.

Q: Have you watched Malik Nabers?

A: He’s special. They got one with that guy, man. He’s going to be a special player in this league. I already think he’s a star, in my opinion. He’s a guy that can do it from the slot, he can do it from the outside, he’s got great hands, he gets open, he’s fast, he’s electric, so they’ve got a great receiver. He kind of reminds me of that feel when the Giants had OBJ [Odell Beckham Jr.]. You could tell he brings an excitement to the team. You can tell he gives that energy and he kind of has that vibe about him that gives a good vibe and a good energy to not only the offense but just to the team in general.

Q: Did you like playing for coach Brian Daboll?

A: I did, I did. That’s really my dawg, for real. Somebody that I can have conversations with. We talked not just in the building but outside the building. I remember he used to FaceTime me, I’ll FaceTime him. He was always super transparent with me, and I knew I could always come to him with anything. We’re forever going to have a relationship regardless of where I’m at, regardless of where he’s at. I’ve been seeing him kind of on social media, man, so he’s looking good, he’s smiling, so I’m happy for him.

Q: He’s lost a lot of weight.

A: Yeah, he’s looking good, man, I’m real happy for him.

Q: Were you aware of the rift between him and former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale?

A: I was not. Not until everything was going on on social media. Sometimes you never really see any of that stuff. A lot of times, if there is a true problem, they try to keep it away from the players a lot of time anyways, so I wasn’t really aware of any of that. I didn’t see any of it until all the stuff had came out on social media.

Q: So how would you sum up your Giants career?

A: It was fun, man. I would sum it up as a roller coaster. I had good moments, had bad moments. But I would say it taught me a lot. And I think that when you win in New York, in general, like even if you’re not there for football or whatever the case may be, it’s so much happening there, and it teaches you a lot about yourself, and you’re able to grow very quickly in that environment. It’s not for everybody, I will say that. You got to be a certain type of person and you got to have a certain type of mindset. … If you make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. I’ll just consider it as a roller coaster — had my good times, had my bad times — but all in all, man, it was love, and I’m always going to have love for the city, I’m always going to have love for that organization.

Q: How much fun was that playoff ride in 2022?

A: Man, super-fun. When you win in New York, man, it’s like no feeling in the world.

Q: What can you tell me about Packers QB Jordan Love?

A: Great quarterback, man. Great leader. A guy that’s going to go out there and give you 110 percent every time. A guy that’s going to put the ball in places where you’re like, “How the hell did he do that?” This camp, competing against him, he made some throws that I hadn’t seen before. I was kind of like, “Damn, I don’t know what I could have did better there.” It’s been fun for me, and fun for all of us.

Q: Was one of your goals entering this season to make history?

A: No, my goal was to be me. I think right now, you’re seeing me just be me. There’s a lot of distraction, a lot of noise, and people saying this, people saying that, but honestly I’m not too worried about that. Like I said, I always keep kind of things in my memory bank, and I’m going to keep pushing and keep doing what I gotta do each and every week.

Q: Where do you shop in Green Bay?

A: I’m in a different mindset right now, I’m kind of in a different mode. That’s not really my focus right now.

Q: Any thoughts about going back to Milan for a fashion show?

A: I definitely will go back. I’ll be in New York, really, some time in the offseason. I’m going to be in L.A., I’m going to go out of the country for fashion.

Q: So you’re still one of the best-dressed players in the NFL.

A: Oh yeah, most definitely. I’m just kind of right now easing up. I’m trying to let everybody catch up right now. Everybody was a little bit behind, but I’m going to let ’em catch up, and then when I pop back out, that’s when I’m going to quiet that back down.