Packers use rare yet smart salary cap tool to keep a valuable roster piece in place for the 2026 season
Kristian Welch has re-signed in Green Bay.
You pay it, you cap it. Well, that’s not exactly like that in the current NFL. While most of the money teams pay to players hit against the cap sooner or later, there is a tool to incentivize teams to sign older players, and the Green Bay Packers will take advantage of it this season.
Earlier this week, the Packers re-signed linebacker and special teamer Kristian Welch, who had become an unrestricted free agent.
Packers use salary cap tool to limit Welch’s impact
When the Packers signed Welch to a one-year contract, they used the somewhat rate Veteran Salary Benefit (VSB). That tool allows teams to sign players with at least four seasons worth of experience to a one-year contract at the minimum base salary, with up to $167,500 in additional compensation (signing/roster bonuses), while the cap hit is reduced to that of a second-year player.
The veteran minimum in the NFL is based on the number of years a player has in his NFL career. In 2026, the minimum base for a player with six accrued seasons, like Kristian Welch, is $1.215 million. Meanwhile, the minimum for a player with two years of experience is $1.075 million.
Because of that difference, teams used to prioritize signing younger players, so the NFL created this tool where teams pay the actual salary for a six-year veteran, but the cap hit is lower.
In Welch’s case, he will actually receive $1.215 million (plus something up to $167,500 in bonuses), but his cap hit for the Packers is $1.075 million. It’s not a massive difference, but the Packers save $140,000 to utilize elsewhere — or to rollover for next season.
Kristian Welch is in his second stint with the Packers. Originally signed in 2023, he played in Green Bay through the 2024 training camp but didn’t make the 53-man roster, being signed by the Denver Broncos. He eventually returned to the Baltimore Ravens, his first NFL team, but got back to the Packers last year.
In 2025, Welch spent part of the regular season on the practice squad and part on the active roster before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in December.
A backup linebacker, Welch is mostly a special teamer. Last year, he played only two defensive snaps, while being on the field for 87 special teams plays (20.76% of the unit’s snaps).
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