Free agency officially starts on Wednesday, but the process truly begins on Monday when teams can take advantage of the legal negotiating period to talk to players and agree to contracts. Sometimes, deals fall through later on, but those are rare occurrences.

Last year, for example, the Packers agreed to sign with both running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney on Monday, March 11, two days ahead of the new league year.

So get your popcorn ready, this will be an intense day.

With more than $40 million in projected cap space, the Packers are in a much more comfortable position than they were entering the new league year in the past few offseasons. There's no need to restructure deals just to create cap space, and general manager Brian Gutekunst can be a real player in free agency.

The offseason will shape up the next couple of seasons for the Packers, so let's discuss some intriguing scenarios and bold predictions for the team.

Big edge move for a player you might not know

The Packers have an obvious type in free agency. They want players entering their second NFL contracts, still young, and ones who might live their prime days in Green Bay. Philosophically, the Packers don't like to pay for past production.

There's obviously risk involved in that approach, because sometimes you sign a player and he simply doesn't turn out to be the guy you expected. But it has worked well for Green Bay in free agency.

A top target this year is Dayo Odeyingbo, from the Indianapolis Colts. He has barely been a starter for the Colts, but is an athletic player, 25 years old, and has shown flashes of high-level talent.

It would be a similar signing to the one Gutekunst made in 2019, bringing in Za'Darius Smith from the Baltimore Ravens.

Comparing Dayo Odeyingbo to Za’Darius Smith entering FA in 2019:

Dayo Odeyingbo:
– 25 years old
– 15.5 sacks
– 4 forced fumbles
– 9.5% pressure rate in ‘24

Za’Darius Smith:
– 26 years old
– 18.5 sacks
– 3 forced fumbles
– 12.5% pressure rate in ‘18

— Jacob (@NotionsOfJacob) March 5, 2025

Six years ago, the Packers gave Smith a contract worth $16.5 million in yearly average, which was 8.76% of the salary cap. Right now, that percentage would be $24.45 million. The Packers will probably not go that far for Odeyingbo, but NFL Network reported that he might get a deal in the $16 million-$20 million per year range.

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Different approach in the secondary

The Packers have been pretty boom or bust in free agency. They prefer top guys, like Xavier McKinney, than fill out needs with mid-level signings.

But there's a scenario where that approach changes a little bit this year, because now they truly have a defensive coordinator in Jeff Hafley who can maximize his pieces.

"Hafley did a great job marrying what we had together to make a top 5, top 10 defense for sure," Gutekunst said after the season. "The strides we took during the season were really impressive, the jumps, and I'm excited to see what Jeff can do in Year 2. He was in college for four years, so a lot of this improvement that we saw, quite frankly, is more impressive than I thought we would see. I'm really excited to see what he does with our defense moving forward, and whatever new pieces we might add."

So instead of looking for elite guys, who are rare to find in free agency, the Packers can address some needs with scheme fits to build a stronger cornerback room.

Last offseason, the Packers quickly fixed their safety group by adding Xavier McKinney and drafting Evan Williams and Javon Bullard. The CB room needs something similar, because there's not much beyond Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine—Jaire Alexander is expected to be traded, and Eric Stokes is a free agent.

There is a free agent in the style the Packers usually like in Paulson Adebo, but scheme fits like DJ Reed, Kendall Fuller, and Emmanuel Moseley could be viable options as well.

No WR1 via free agency

The free agent class is poor, with Tee Higgins being franchise tagged. There aren't great options to improve the room the Packers already have, even though some guys could complement it. Chris Godwin is a good name, but he's older, might be expensive, is coming off an injury, and plays primarily in the slot.

So the best path for the Packers is to trade for a guy like Brandon Aiyuk. Tee Higgins has the franchise tag from the Cincinnati Bengals and could be acquired as well, but the combination of high draft pick and big extension makes it unlikely for Green Bay.

The only free agent really worth signing would be Davante Adams, but he signed with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. There are guys like Josh Palmer and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but they wouldn't add much compared to what the roster already has.

Still, Green Bay wants a long-term option, and Davante doesn't fit that criteria anymore.

Packers have already decided on one of their top free agent targets, and it makes perfect sense on every level

Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is Green Bay’s plan A at pass rusher.