2025 Packer Free Agent News/Tracker

[OldSchool101]

the ideal thing is to not have to spend big $ in FA at CB. Best case would be for JA to return with consistency. I still think we should plan on adding another CB earlier in the draft. If JA plays regularly? Wonderful. We should draft another CB though, but it doesn’t need to be out of the gate either. JA contract eases with each passing year and the years pass fast these days. I like having a deep CB room because it’s likely 1-2 go down and you carry 6 with 3-4 seeing regular time.

Today allows us to stand pat until the draft. Round 4 is littered at CB with currently 8 prospects holding a RD4 consensus grade. Either later RD3 taking our pick of the litter or grabbing one with our natural opening Day3 selection.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Yeah, I'm not convinced that Alexander is gone yet.

He can't leave....he's injured and can't walk up the stairs to board the plane!

 

[OldSchool101]

He can't leave....he's injured and can't walk up the stairs to board the plane!

We can fix that! Give him the Tanya Harding Aloha!

 

[Schultz]

the ideal thing is to not have to spend big $ in FA at CB. Best case would be for JA to return with consistency. I still think we should plan on adding another CB earlier in the draft. If JA plays regularly? Wonderful. We should draft another CB though, but it doesn’t need to be out of the gate either. JA contract eases with each passing year and the years pass fast these days. I like having a deep CB room because it’s likely 1-2 go down and you carry 6 with 3-4 seeing regular time.

Today allows us to stand pat until the draft. Round 4 is littered at CB with currently 8 prospects holding a RD4 consensus grade. Either later RD3 taking our pick of the litter or grabbing one with our natural opening Day3 selection.

The Hobbs signing moved CB from their #1 need to #4 IMO. Good to hear Round 4 will have some prospects.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Dantes posted a simple, one-sentence remark in the "NFL Free Agency" thread that got me thinking. All he said was, "I would like another corner". So I asked him, do you mean right now in free agency, or was that just a general comment that you'd like to see another CB on the roster at some point in the offseason.

I assume he meant in free agency, in which case I was curious who he had in mind. And who we could still afford. So I wrote a fairly long reply, but as I wrote it, I realized it was better to post these points and these questions in the thread specifically dedicated to Green Bay's free agency plans.

So.... what do you all still want to see happen in free agency?

If you want to see immediate free agency action, who do you have in mind? Who's out there who fits the pattern of Gute's free agency signings the last 2 seasons? (With the exception of Brandon MaManus, who plays a specialized (and fairly cheap) role?)

All of his FA signings the past 2 offseasons have several things in common - first, they are young, still in their primes and in some cases arguably with room to still grow. No 32-year old guys on the last stretch of their careers, looking to get paid for what they've done the last several years instead of what they still have to offer today.

Second, they're good teammates - good locker room guys, good leaders, no "problem children". In fact, as I mentioned earlier today in a different post, all 4 of the position players we signed were team captains either in college or (in Josh Jacobs' case) the NFL. Not to mention, of the 11 players he drafted last year, 6 of them were team captains.

That certainly seems to be something Gutekunst values. Of the 15 position players he added to the roster in the last 2 years, 10 of them are former team captains. That seems to suggest he's looking for players with specific intangible "character" qualities.

Third, he seems to favor versatility when possible, and - as in the draft - high-level athleticism.

And finally, he doesn't overpay.

So who's still out there who fits that description?

And... what needs do you feel are more important to address in free agency, rather than roll the dice on draft day?

And the other big question - how much money do we still have in the checking account? Does anyone know what our cap looks like after these two contracts? Have the details even been released yet? Not only how much do we even have to spend, but wow much of that is it reasonable for us to spend?

Because, dammmn, y'all... a few days ago, it seemed to me that most FAs were not getting top-dollar contracts - it was my impression that teams were getting bargains, but maybe that was just a mistaken impression. But what I saw today was teams literally spending money like drunken sailors on a Saturday night in Honolulu; that big jump in the salary cap was thoroughly maximized.

So how much do we have left to spend, and how much can we afford to spend? Two different questions.

And where do you wanna spend it?

Is it better to spend now, on another premium player, or wait until roster cuts are made - and scoop up depth players who are desperate for a job and running out of options?

What are your thoughts? What's our best next move? I know a lot of you will have a far more informed position on this than I do.

 

[OldSchool101]

Dantes posted a simple, one-sentence remark in the "NFL Free Agency" thread that got me thinking. All he said was, "I would like another corner". So I asked him, do you mean right now in free agency, or was that just a general comment that you'd like to see another CB on the roster at some point in the offseason.

I assume he meant in free agency, in which case I was curious who he had in mind. And who we could still afford. So I wrote a fairly long reply, but as I wrote it, I realized it was better to post these points and these questions in the thread specifically dedicated to Green Bay's free agency plans.

So.... what do you all still want to see happen in free agency?

If you want to see immediate free agency action, who do you have in mind? Who's out there who fits the pattern of Gute's free agency signings the last 2 seasons? (With the exception of Brandon MaManus, who plays a specialized (and fairly cheap) role?)

All of his FA signings the past 2 offseasons have several things in common - first, they are young, still in their primes and in some cases arguably with room to still grow. No 32-year old guys on the last stretch of their careers, looking to get paid for what they've done the last several years instead of what they still have to offer today.

Second, they're good teammates - good locker room guys, good leaders, no "problem children". In fact, as I mentioned earlier today in a different post, all 4 of the position players we signed were team captains either in college or (in Josh Jacobs' case) the NFL. Not to mention, of the 11 players he drafted last year, 6 of them were team captains.

That certainly seems to be something Gutekunst values. Of the 15 position players he added to the roster in the last 2 years, 10 of them are former team captains. That seems to suggest he's looking for players with specific intangible "character" qualities.

Third, he seems to favor versatility when possible, and - as in the draft - high-level athleticism.

And finally, he doesn't overpay.

So who's still out there who fits that description?

And... what needs do you feel are more important to address in free agency, rather than roll the dice on draft day?

And the other big question - how much money do we still have in the checking account? Does anyone know what our cap looks like after these two contracts? Have the details even been released yet? Not only how much do we even have to spend, but wow much of that is it reasonable for us to spend?

Because, dammmn, y'all... a few days ago, it seemed to me that most FAs were not getting top-dollar contracts - it was my impression that teams were getting bargains, but maybe that was just a mistaken impression. But what I saw today was teams literally spending money like drunken sailors on a Saturday night in Honolulu; that big jump in the salary cap was thoroughly maximized.

So how much do we have left to spend, and how much can we afford to spend? Two different questions.

And where do you wanna spend it?

Is it better to spend now, on another premium player, or wait until roster cuts are made - and scoop up depth players who are desperate for a job and running out of options?

What are your thoughts? What's our best next move? I know a lot of you will have a far more informed position on this than I do.

Great points. I wholeheartedly agree and especially in that versatility of each prospect we land. They often have played or will play multiple roles, such as that Star position or across the OL. Banks even filled in at LT admirably. Hobbs was in used in LV how we tried to mold Oren Burks a few years back. He looks to be a very physical, attacking player who grades highly at tackling for short or negative gains (see the Tyrerk Hill highlight).

As far as Cap. I think we’ve spent around $40Mil of the closer to $50mil (rounding it off) available. Now obviously as we know we can Delegate cap hits today or tomorrow so we can apply measures to free up more spending power now. To answer your question we’ve spent 80% available in order to stay responsible without substantial carry over.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Dantes posted a simple, one-sentence remark in the "NFL Free Agency" thread that got me thinking. All he said was, "I would like another corner". So I asked him, do you mean right now in free agency, or was that just a general comment that you'd like to see another CB on the roster at some point in the offseason.

I assume he meant in free agency, in which case I was curious who he had in mind. And who we could still afford. So I wrote a fairly long reply, but as I wrote it, I realized it was better to post these points and these questions in the thread specifically dedicated to Green Bay's free agency plans.

So.... what do you all still want to see happen in free agency?

If you want to see immediate free agency action, who do you have in mind? Who's out there who fits the pattern of Gute's free agency signings the last 2 seasons? (With the exception of Brandon MaManus, who plays a specialized (and fairly cheap) role?)

All of his FA signings the past 2 offseasons have several things in common - first, they are young, still in their primes and in some cases arguably with room to still grow. No 32-year old guys on the last stretch of their careers, looking to get paid for what they've done the last several years instead of what they still have to offer today.

Second, they're good teammates - good locker room guys, good leaders, no "problem children". In fact, as I mentioned earlier today in a different post, all 4 of the position players we signed were team captains either in college or (in Josh Jacobs' case) the NFL. Not to mention, of the 11 players he drafted last year, 6 of them were team captains.

That certainly seems to be something Gutekunst values. Of the 15 position players he added to the roster in the last 2 years, 10 of them are former team captains. That seems to suggest he's looking for players with specific intangible "character" qualities.

Third, he seems to favor versatility when possible, and - as in the draft - high-level athleticism.

And finally, he doesn't overpay.

So who's still out there who fits that description?

And... what needs do you feel are more important to address in free agency, rather than roll the dice on draft day?

And the other big question - how much money do we still have in the checking account? Does anyone know what our cap looks like after these two contracts? Have the details even been released yet? Not only how much do we even have to spend, but wow much of that is it reasonable for us to spend?

Because, dammmn, y'all... a few days ago, it seemed to me that most FAs were not getting top-dollar contracts - it was my impression that teams were getting bargains, but maybe that was just a mistaken impression. But what I saw today was teams literally spending money like drunken sailors on a Saturday night in Honolulu; that big jump in the salary cap was thoroughly maximized.

So how much do we have left to spend, and how much can we afford to spend? Two different questions.

And where do you wanna spend it?

Is it better to spend now, on another premium player, or wait until roster cuts are made - and scoop up depth players who are desperate for a job and running out of options?

What are your thoughts? What's our best next move? I know a lot of you will have a far more informed position on this than I do.

On defense, the Packers really need to improve on their front 4. While I know everyone loves a flashy DE that gets 10+ sacks a year, I would settle for 4 guys, that consistently put pressure on the QB, help the guys behind them stuff the opponents run game and just basically make life easier for the whole defense. Can't tell you how many games I watched this past season where a team had a dominating defensive line and I was envious.

On offense, while I like our receiver room, it might be time to bring in a ready made, solid vet WR. Here again, I don't need anything flashy, but a guy that knows how to run his routes, get open and catch most of what is thrown at him. I still hope this happens for Doubs, Reed, Wicks and Watson (if he stays healthy), but if it does happen for any of those 4 players, its going to cost the Packers a ton of money to keep them (Reed and Wicks have 2 more seasons on rookie deals). So spend some mid-range cash and find a guy that gives Love that guy that he can always count on.

Depending on what happens in Free Agency, when the Draft comes along, I see Gute concentrating on the DL and WR's, with a CB and OL player mixed in. I can also see him trading out of the 1st and trying to double down on another second round pick and the 4th that comes with that trade of picks.

 

[tynimiller]

Great points. I wholeheartedly agree and especially in that versatility of each prospect we land. They often have played or will play multiple roles, such as that Star position or across the OL. Banks even filled in at LT admirably there in FL. Hobbs was in used in LV how we tried to mold Oren Burks a few years back. He looks to be a very physical, attacking player who grades highly at tackling for short or negative gains (see the Tyrerk Hill highlight).

As far as Cap. I think we’ve spent around $40Mil of closer to $50mil (rounding it off) Now obviously we can restructure and get crafty or structure to push $$ across years. Di you’ve still got some $5-10Mil wiggle with keeping reserves.

Wait...Hobbs was deployed like Burks? Call me confused, can you unpack that for me?

Burks was a box deployment his entire career. Hobbs has aligned there when motion and packages cause it but it is very very little.

 

[OldSchool101]

Wait...Hobbs was deployed like Burks? Call me confused, can you unpack that for me?

Burks was a box deployment his entire career. Hobbs has aligned there when motion and packages cause it but it is very very little.

My mistake. I think I got Burks confused with another DB around that time he was drafted. I guess for myself the confusion is easy if you study his history. I see Burks I see a bigger DB, like he was used at Vanderbilt and used very successfully. He didn’t convert to LB until later in college and really scouting said he didn’t have a defined role, so the College LB designation label was semantical. Burks most productive time was actually at Safety. Where he led his Defense in his best season with INT (3) and Passes Defensed (7)

They are similar players, but in different position groups. Both have an attacking, aggressive style. Both are not afraid of physical contact. Both are formidable against the Pass and Run. One from a Will angle and 1 from a Slot Defender. Different roles, but they overlap also. You’ll notice in SF they let Burks roam more to use his agility and speed (3 PD, 1 INT) In GB across 4 seasons he had? (0,0) I think it’s not a coincidence that sometimes we get too tied up in knots over position labels and it leads to 0,0. (Not suggesting you said that, just in general we see it) Thank God Hafley doesn’t subscribe to that theme. He uses his players like Swiss Army knives. Many players across the league are tweeners at multiple roles and these two (Burks, Hobbs) 100% perfectly both fit that bill at their respective positions.

 

[tynimiller]

Gotcha. Makes more sense. Perhaps you were thinking of Tariq Carpenter? The hybrid safety/box LB type…he was more DB than Burks.

 

[Schultz]

IMO they do not need another FA until after the draft.

 

[tynimiller]

IMO they do not need another FA until after the draft.

If they know Jaire is gone I could get on board with a CB, or really any lower end signing before the draft I’m okay with.

Think like a Eric Wilson type player at LB or even a seasoned veteran edge guy or truthfully a Tackle prospect like Dillard last year on a cheap one year.

 

[OldSchool101]

If they know Jaire is gone I could get on board with a CB, or really any lower end signing before the draft I’m okay with.

Think like an Eric Wilson type player at LB or even a seasoned veteran edge guy or truthfully a Tackle prospect like Dillard last year on a cheap one year.

Yes. Theres something to be said about having success. Last year we were very successful on Defense, particularly against the Run. So my small brain sees it generically. Fix the weak links.

We now have a weak (or semi weak) links at these areas.

iDT (TJ replacement)

CB depth (depending on our internal plans involving JA?) adequate depth or signing 1 more starter level to push current players a notch into depth, similar to our fix at OL.

LB depth. I feel like we’re 1 LB shy here. Not sure where Hopper is in his development?

I think we’re 1-2 more smaller signings from comfort level. We might just be waiting for that bargain bin signing. Such as a player who might’ve been otherwise been $6-8mil annual but signs for $3-4mil etc.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Depending on what happens in Free Agency, when the Draft comes along, I see Gute concentrating on the DL and WR's, with a CB and OL player mixed in. I can also see him trading out of the 1st and trying to double down on another second round pick and the 4th that comes with that trade of picks.

He has said that he feels some pressure not to trade out of the 1st since the draft is in Green Bay, but that Murphy specifically told him, "don't be afraid to trade that pick if you think it's right thing to do." But I don't think he'll do it; he's never traded out of the first round in his 8 drafts. He likes his first rounders.

But I do expect him to move around in the 1st; he does that more often than not. I think he's traded either up or down within the 1st 5 times, maybe 6, sometimes trading both down and back up again.

 

[SudsMcBucky]

If they know Jaire is gone I could get on board with a CB, or really any lower end signing before the draft I’m okay with.

Think like a Eric Wilson type player at LB or even a seasoned veteran edge guy or truthfully a Tackle prospect like Dillard last year on a cheap one year.

I'd really like to see them get a veteran WR before the draft. You're going to be w/o Watson for most of the whole year, and who knows how Doubs will be with his concussion history.

 

[Dantés]

There’s not much left out there to be done.

I like the idea of bringing Terrace Marshall into camp. They should keep tabs on MVS and Chark to potentially sign them after the draft.

 

[El Guapo]

Gutekunst has done pretty good in the first round looking at 2018-2022. I would have no problem with whatever he does, which is usually less predictable when picking near the end of the round. What other teams do above you has more impact:

Solid Picks
Jaire Alexander
Rashan Gary
Jordan Love
Quay Walker
Devonte Wyatt

Disappointing Picks
Darnell Savage
Eric Stokes - only disappointing due to the terrible injury he suffered, otherwise was looking solid


I'm with Suds about trying to get a veteran WR in the second or third tier of FA, coupled with drafting another one.

 

[tynimiller]

Gutekunst has done pretty good in the first round looking at 2018-2022. I would have no problem with whatever he does, which is usually less predictable when picking near the end of the round. What other teams do above you has more impact:

Solid Picks
Jaire Alexander
Rashan Gary
Jordan Love
Quay Walker
Devonte Wyatt

Disappointing Picks
Darnell Savage
Eric Stokes - only disappointing due to the terrible injury he suffered, otherwise was looking solid


I'm with Suds about trying to get a veteran WR in the second or third tier of FA, coupled with drafting another one.

And the crazy thing is Darnell is still a starting safety in this league and likely will be for years yet...

 

[Schultz]

If they know Jaire is gone I could get on board with a CB, or really any lower end signing before the draft I’m okay with.

Think like a Eric Wilson type player at LB or even a seasoned veteran edge guy or truthfully a Tackle prospect like Dillard last year on a cheap one year.

I am not counting their own FAs when stating they should wait. IMO yesterday's 2 signings sets the draft up pretty nice. When I woke up yesterday, I had GBs draft needs ranked CB-DT-E-OL-WR-CB-OL-DL. When I went to bed it was DT-E-WR-CB-OL-DL-WR-LB. It sure looks like they can get 2 highly regarded DL with the 1st 2 picks no matter which position they choose to take 1st. IMO there is a good chance at least 1 of Royals, S. Williams or T. Harris is still around in the 3rd round. Old School says plenty of Corners in RD. 4. I advocate for a Center in round 5. There are a couple of late round WRs I like also. Once the draft shakes out Gute can do his cheap deals like you suggest at positions he didn't get a chance to address in the draft. IMO.

 

[OldSchool101]

And the crazy thing is Darnell is still a starting safety in this league and likely will be for years yet...

Not to argue, but just for clarity on actual expenditure. Yes it’s a 1st rounder on a technicality. I similarly agree it’s a game of can you hit on your high level selections. I always put a side-note on that Savage selection by crediting that previous draft where Gute did the switcharoo. Trading back with Seattle? and moving down and back up to grab JA. Parted with a 3rd Rounder in process but picked up a 6th. So in fact we got Savage by parting with a 3rd rounder the previous draft (will call it a later 2nd rounder for lost time value purposes) and got a 6th kick back
I defend Gute on Savage because we never would’ve had multiple Day 1 selections that following year to begin with if not for craft maneuvering by Gute.

 

[El Guapo]

And the crazy thing is Darnell is still a starting safety in this league and likely will be for years yet...

Agreed. I actually listed Savage as a successful draft pick for a long time. He was our starter and is still playing. I think that in the long view, he didn't live up to expectations. Even had he been a 2nd or 3rd rounder he would have been a disappointment, because he was capable be still a liability on the field.

The point is still that Gutekunst has a pretty good track record drafting in the first round. Stokes was a good pick too. You can't predict freak injuries or ding a GM in retrospect for it. If he would have continued to be a solid corner, we wouldn't have been spending the money on Hobbs in FA this season. We would be waving goodbye to Jaire, with Stokes taking over as CB#1, and looking to draft his compliment in the draft.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I can't help but wondering if the Packers lost out on Josh Sweat by signing Banks? Seems like the Cardinals got a steal on Sweat and his contract is pretty close to the one Banks was given. Yeah, we needed help on the OL, but Sweat could have really helped the Packers defense. I would love to know if he was even on Gutes radar?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Not Packer FA News, but since many were talking about the possibility, thought I would put it here. MVS has signed with the Seahawks. $5.5M on a 1 year deal.

 

[OldSchool101]

Reports: Packers linked to recently released WR Cooper Kupp

Two reports have linked Green Bay to Kupp so far

www.acmepackingcompany.com

Cmon Gute. I’d at least make an offer and Structure it according to Playing time as a safety lever.
I’d offer a 2yr 18mil with 4Mil in bonus incentives for playing time/stat minimums.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Reports: Packers linked to recently released WR Cooper Kupp

Two reports have linked Green Bay to Kupp so far

www.acmepackingcompany.com

Cmon Gute. I’d at least make an offer and Structure it according to Playing time as a safety lever.
I’d offer a 2yr 18mil with 4Mil in bonus incentives for playing time/stat minimums.

Yeah; I'm not a big fan of the "we'll just draft a speed demon who can draw the safeties away from the slot" school of thought. We don't just need a deep threat at WR, we need an experienced veteran who can provide some wisdom and the leadership to the teenagers. That's why I wanted Adams until I saw his price, and would have liked to have had MVS as a Plan B.

Kupp can still be both those players. He's worth adding.