NFL makes incredible Saints' Kool-Aid McKinstry announcement

NFL makes incredible Saints' Kool-Aid McKinstry announcement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New Orleans Saints had lost eight games in a row dating back to 2024, but in Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season, they got their first win. It was a huge win, as not only was it Kellen Moore's first in New Orleans, but it was also the first win for Spencer Rattler with the Saints.

While Moore and Rattler were huge reasons for the win, the Saints' defense was also elite. The New York Giants, with first-round rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, got out to an early 14-3 lead in the early goings of the second quarter. But, in the ensuing 40-plus minutes, the Saints shut the Giants' offense down.

A huge factor in the Saints' win was second-year cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. A few days after the Saints' victory, the National Football League made an incredible McKinstry announcement for his pay in Week 5.

NFL names Kool-Aid McKinstry NFC Defensive Player of the Week

McKinstry was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his role in the Saints' Week 5 win over the Giants. It's the first time he's earned such an honor in his NFL career, and if he continues to play as well as he did Sunday, it won't be his last.

LOCKDOWN 😤 Kool-Aid McKinstry is your NFC Defensive Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/FfbKCAuwv7

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 8, 2025

Against Dart and the Giants, McKinstry had four tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions. Both of those interceptions, the first two of his NFL career, came in the fourth quarter to shut down the Giants on back-to-back drives.

So far this season, McKinstry is having a much more prolific year than he had in his rookie season. In 15 games, including nine starts, he had 42 combined tackles with six passes defended and no interceptions. In five games this season, he's at 20 tackles, four passes defended, and two interceptions.

Those numbers are even more impressive when considering that McKinstry had both of his interceptions in week 5 and three of his four passes defended in the same week.

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While the entire defense played incredibly after the Giants' second touchdown drive, the play of McKinstry was a huge reason why the Giants couldn't mount any sort of comeback, as they allowed 23 unanswered points scored on them.

McKinstry was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, and with plenty of incredible cornerbacks coming out of that draft class, including Cooper DeJean, just one pick before the Saints' pick, McKinstry is putting his name among the elite corners from the 2024 NFL draft class.

In his second season, and in his 14th career start, McKinstry earned his first NFL Defensive Player of the Week award. He more than earned the honor, as he was a big reason for the Saints' defense shutting down the Giants' offense in Week 5.

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