For most of the public, the Green Bay Packers‘ Micah Parsons trade was both seismic and sudden. Despite growing rumors, there was nothing to suggest that something big was on the verge of happening right here, right now. Then the news broke. According to team insider Rob Demovsky, however, at least one Packers player, safety Xavier McKinney, seemed to have a pretty good idea of what was coming. Demovsky shared the moment during the exchange that gave him a strong feeling McKinney knew what was up.
In hindsight, McKinney’s noncommittal answer reads like an obvious “wink-wink” on Packers’ plans
On Tuesday, Demovsky asked several Packers for their thoughts on the Parsons rumors. “It was right after final cuts,” Demovksy recalled, “and it just seemed like this was picking up steam as a possibility.”
Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers, Xavier McKinney
Jul 26, 2025; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons (11) at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
By the time he got around to asking McKinney, who shares Parsons’ agent, his antennae were plenty perked. “He looked at me, and he goes, ‘I’m not going there, but Micah’s a great player, and a great dude,’ and he smiled at me, which told me that he might know something was in the works as well,” Demovsky said.
McKinney’s quotes circulated widely, but especially now, with the benefit of retrospect, those nonverbal cues omitted from quoted text seem all the more significant.
No doubt McKinney is excited to have Parsons bearing down on opposing passers in front of him. Those extra pressures and quarterback hits should lead to more rushed or wobbly throws, creating pickoff opportunities for the NFL’s second-leading ball hawk last season: McKinney’s eight interceptions trailed only Detroit’s Kerby Joseph.
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) celebrates with cornerback Carrington Valent
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) celebrates with cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) after intercepting a pass against San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen during their game on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was McKinney’s seventh interception of the season.
With Parsons on the front lines and McKinney patrolling the secondary, the Packers defense should be one of the NFC’s strongest. After the Eagles won the Super Bowl with a dominant pass rush, bolstering their own units became an urgent item on every contender’s agenda. The Packers actually went out and did it by adding the best edge rusher in the conference, curing the roster’s primary weakness.
Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers, Xavier McKinney
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of the 2024 NFC wild card game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
To get him, all they gave up from the current unit was defensive tackle Kenny Clark, an All-Pro in his own right but no match for an asset like Parsons. With the level of excitement this move brings to fans and the entire state of Wisconsin, credit McKinney for holding in the beans with such a deadpan response.
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