**Kool-Aid McKinstry Signs First NFL Contract with the New Orleans Saints**
Cornerback Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry has officially signed his first NFL contract, as announced by the New Orleans Saints on Friday.
Selected 41st overall by the Saints in the April 26 NFL Draft, McKinstry’s draft position comes with a four-year contract valued at approximately $9.157 million. According to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, all drafted players receive four-year contracts, with their value determined by the draft pick number, the league’s salary cap of $255.4 million for the 2024 season, and the rookie compensation pool.
McKinstry was the last of the Saints’ seven draft picks to finalize his contract.
Joining a defensive backfield that includes returning players Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore, McKinstry enters a group with significant experience. Adebo is a three-year starter, while Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowler, has struggled with injuries, limiting him to 17 games over the past two seasons. Slot corner Alontae Taylor also remains on the roster.
Despite a Jones fracture in his right foot discovered during the NFL Scouting Combine, the Saints drafted McKinstry in the second round. This injury has limited his participation in offseason activities.
To secure McKinstry, the Saints traded up, sending the Green Bay Packers the 45th, 168th, and 190th picks to move up four spots.
McKinstry has a distinguished background, having been named the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Mr. Football and Class 6A Back of the Year in 2020 while at Pinson Valley High School. His high school team won its third AHSAA Class 6A championship in four seasons that year. At Alabama, McKinstry earned first-team All-American honors from The Associated Press and The Sporting News in 2023.
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