The bet started on Thursday when the Giants practiced, with Julian Love agreeing to dye half of his hair blonde if Xavier McKinney recorded another two interceptions in a game this season. At first, McKinney was confused. He didn’t know whether that meant two interceptions in the same game — like he already had done twice in the last four weeks — or two across the rest of the season. But then Love changed it anyway, according to McKinney.
“He changed it up a little bit on me,” McKinney said jokingly.
That afternoon, at 2:38 p.m., Love quote-tweeted McKinney’s push for Pro Bowl fan votes and typed, “Vote X for the #2022probowl If he gets in I’ll dye half my hair blonde in his honor #ProBowlVote.”
It’s a true statement, Love said after Friday’s practice. He will mirror McKinney’s look — blonde hair on the left, dark hair on the right — if McKinney represents the Giants’ secondary in the Pro Bowl after cornerback James Bradberry made the list last year.
He has recorded four interceptions this season, with two in the last game against the Raiders and the others in a blowout loss to the Rams three weeks prior.
It’s a long shot at this point for McKinney to make the Pro Bowl, but he has at least injected himself into the conversation heading into Monday’s game against Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, who’s thrown two interceptions in back-to-back games.
“I think Xavier’s a rising superstar in this league without a doubt,” Love said Friday.
“I think he’s wise beyond his years. Obviously, he’s a year younger than me, but he goes into each week with great preparation and a great focus, and he’s really intentional about what he’s doing.”
Earlier this season, McKinney told The Post that the two sides of his hair reflect two distinct personalities. Outside of games, he “could be a really cool guy,” someone who’s approachable and open-minded. But that shifts once the blonde side, the “crazy” side, emerges on the field during games.
“I’m there to be great,” he said.
His first interception against Oakland came early in the third quarter, when he stepped in front of a route and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. One quarter later, he read the high arc on Derek Carr’s pass near the sideline and all but sealed the Giants’ win, thrusting McKinney — who missed the first 10 games of his rookie season due to injury and recorded just one interception — further into the spotlight.
McKinney’s campaign to reach the Pro Bowl hasn’t been “really a focus of mine,” he said.
If he fills his role in New York’s defense, the rest will take care of itself, he added. Love, who’s a year older than McKinney and taken on a decreased role with McKinney’s emergence, said “some attention should be shown his way for sure,” though.
But when asked how he’d look with half of his hair dyed blonde if McKinney won the bet, Love chuckled.
“Probably better than him,” he said.
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