{"id":90985,"date":"2025-05-30T15:54:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T15:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/90985\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T15:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T15:54:10","slug":"xavier-mckinney-seeks-improvement-after-an-all-pro-season-for-the-green-bay-packers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/90985\/","title":{"rendered":"Xavier McKinney seeks improvement after an All-Pro season for the Green Bay Packers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney<\/a> earned first-team All-Pro recognition in the 2024 NFL season, when he intercepted eight passes and made 88 tackles. But for a player who aspires to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the only option for 2025 is to play better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always going to be levels of improvement,\u201d McKinney said<\/a> on Wednesday. \u201cI think my biggest thing is I like to say I have my foot on their necks. Really, it\u2019s just going to be the same. I\u2019m not going to let off the gas for nothing to nobody. And that same intensity, that same energy, it\u2019s going to stay the same. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I know what I want to accomplish by the end of my career. And I know that in order to hit that goal, these years are going to matter. So I take that seriously. I don\u2019t take it lightly. So for me, it\u2019s just keep grinding, keep my head down and keep locking in on the small details so I don\u2019t get complacent and I keep having these All-Pro years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Packers defensive backs coach Ryan Downard sees the same hunger in McKinney this offseason as he did when the former Alabama<\/a> standout arrived in Green Bay via NFL free agency last year. McKinney spent his first four seasons with the New York Giants.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to keep him focused on each day,\u201d Downard said<\/a> about helping an All-Pro improve. \u201cI know that\u2019s clich\u00e9, but that is what I\u2019m trying to hammer home with him. We\u2019ll see what\u2019s next. I know we\u2019ve got a lot of aspirations and goals, but focus on this day, and then at the end of next year we can look back and see: What did we accomplish? That\u2019s been the approach with him. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely there\u2019s more that he can improve on. That\u2019s the challenge laid out for me is: How do I keep trying to stretch this guy to continue getting him better? But his attitude, he\u2019s ready for anything and everything. He just wants more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Packers began the final portion of their offseason program \u2013 properly called Organized Team Activities — on Tuesday. They have two weeks of practice remaining before the summer break.<\/p>\n

McKinney said his priorities at this time of the football calendar concern team-building.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, my main focus is trying to lead these young guys that just got in,\u201d McKinney said<\/a>. \u201cTrying to make sure that they are comfortable and are going to be ready to go when the season comes around. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bonding part of it to me for OTAs is just making sure that we are kind of hanging out off the field, getting to know each other. So that way, when we get on the field and things start to ramp up and get serious, if something happens on the field and you say something to somebody, they don\u2019t take it personal. They take it from, \u2018OK, that\u2019s my brother.\u2019 Like we\u2019ve developed a relationship together to where I don\u2019t feel a certain type of way if he say something to me. So I think that\u2019s what this time is all about. And I think we\u2019ve done a great job of where we\u2019re at right now and just continuing to build those relationships from the older guys to the younger guys, the young guys to the older guys, from all the players to the coaches, coaches to players.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKinney\u2019s contributions helped the Packers compile an 11-6 record during the 2024 season. But that yielded only a third-place finish in the NFC North, as the Detroit Lions won 15 games and the Minnesota Vikings 14. Green Bay\u2019s regular-season losses included five to division rivals and one to the Philadelphia Eagles, who went on to win the NFL championship for the 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n

But McKinney said for 2025, Green Bay is the No. 1 team in the NFC North.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just going to put it out there right now,\u201d McKinney said<\/a>. \u201cSo that\u2019s what we\u2019re aiming for. And, obviously, we didn\u2019t do a good enough job last year at all, and we\u2019ve got to be a lot better than we were last year in the division. And we know that. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, obviously, it\u2019s going to be competitive, and there\u2019s a lot of good teams in our division, obviously. But we feel like we\u2019ve got the best group, and I\u2019m sure they feel like they\u2019ve got the best group as well, so we\u2019re going to see when it\u2019s time to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time to play arrives for Green Bay on Sept. 7, and the Packers will kick off the 2025 season with a rivalry game against the Lions.<\/p>\n

RELATED: JOSH JACOBS DREAMS UP THE GREEN BAY PACKERS\u2019 2025 NFL SCHEDULE<\/a><\/p>\n

FOR MORE OF AL.COM\u2019S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE<\/a><\/p>\n

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1<\/a>.<\/p>\n