Sep 15, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) celebrates a first half interception against Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
The NFL Honors in New Orleans last Thursday revealed the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and it was not Green Bay Packers star safety Xavier McKinney . Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II ended up winning the award by coming away with 26 first-place votes to go with 11 second-place votes, two third-place votes, four fourth-place votes and a fifth-place vote.
As for McKinney, he finished just eighth in the voting, as the 25-year-old defensive back failed to get a first-place vote. He had two votes each for second place and fifth place while getting just a single vote for third and fourth place apiece.
Other players who finished higher than McKinney in the voting were Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
Xavier McKinney reacts to his finish in the 2024 NFL DPOY voting
McKinney appeared to be motivated by his finish in the voting for the award, as he shared the following message via Instagram Stories: “Ight bet.”
Xavier McKinney on his DPOY voting finish: “ight bet” pic.twitter.com/GvpWLAxjQS
— Don March (@ItsAlwaysMarch) February 8, 2025
It can be interpreted as some sort of a warning to the rest of the league that a better version of McKinney is coming in 2025.
Although McKinney never got the award and had a relatively poor result in the voting, he can always use that as a motivation to play even better in 2025.
He already turned many heads during his first season with the Packers , having recorded eight interceptions and a sack along with 11 passes defended and 88 total tackles through 17 games during the 2024 campaign. It can’t also be denied that he was an important piece of Green Bay’s defense that was sixth in the regular season with just 20.0 points allowed per game and fourth with a 2.9 percent defensive interception rate.
