The Green Bay Packers manager Brian Gutekunst targets signing free-agent safety… 

The Packers’ greatest opponent to sign free-agent safety Xavier McKinney exposed

The Green Bay Packers aren’t spending any time trying to remedy their glaring need for safety. General manager Brian Gutekunst aims to address safety in free agency, and Xavier McKinney is reportedly one of their targets. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports that the Packers are “expected” to make a bid for McKinney.

It would be a home-run signing for Green Bay. McKinney is the best safety available in free agency, is only 24 years old, and would fit nicely in Jeff Hafley’s system. He could play as the single-high safety but has the versatility to line up wherever Hafley needs him.

The Packers would reunite McKinney with their new defensive pass game coordinator, Derrick Ansley, who was the lead recruiter and defensive backs coach at Alabama during McKinney’s time there.

Green Bay will allegedly make a bid for McKinney, but there will be considerable competition. The Packers understandably want to sign McKinney, but they are not alone.

According to Connor Hughes of SNY, the Philadelphia Eagles aim to “aggressively” recruit McKinney. Philadelphia sorely needs safety help and is fully aware of how talented McKinney is, having spent the past four seasons playing for the division-rival Giants.

Hughes adds that the Packers are also “very interested.” If the Eagles have genuine interest, it might become a headache for the Packers. They have much more budget space than Green Bay, while general manager Howie Roseman isn’t hesitant to make big moves in free agency.

It comes down to how badly Gutekunst wants McKinney in Green Bay. He is arguably the Packers’ best option in free agency and may become a great player under Hafley’s defense. But the Packers rarely overpay. If McKinney’s price grows too high, Gutekunst may look elsewhere.

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