Packers make risky call on underrated offensive piece and now the next move is out of their hands
Emanuel Wilson becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The Green Bay Packers have decided to risk losing backup running back Emanuel Wilson instead of giving him a raise. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler reported on Friday night that the Packers are not extending a restricted free agent tender to Wilson, so he will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts on March 11.
Wilson, who’s been with the Packers since 2023, has three accrued seasons in the NFL. That gave the Packers an option to apply a tender, but Green Bay’s front office prefers to take the risk of him going elsewhere over paying him a tender.
How restricted free agency works
The lowest tender would have been the rights of first refusal, at $3.822 million. If another team made Wilson an offer, the Packers would have the rights to match it and keep the player — but if the Packers didn’t match, there would be no compensation.
The first-round tender is $8.735 million, and the second-round tender is $6.261 million. In these cases, the original team receives the corresponding pick as a compensation if it decides not to match the offer.
Because the Packers won’t tender Wilson, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is able to sign with anyone. Green Bay doesn’t have any type of preference or matching rights. However, it’s still possible that the Packers re-sign Wilson under a lower deal — that’s exactly what happened to tight end John FitzPatrick a year ago. The downside is that, if Wilson goes elsewhere, he doesn’t even count toward the compensatory pick formula.
Emanuel Wilson has been an extremely solid and undervalued backup. Over the past two years playing behind Josh Jacobs, he had 998 rushing yards, 147 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns.
This offseason, the Packers have a uniquely long list of restricted free agents. They’ve already decided not to tender Wilson and safety/special teamer Zayne Anderson. The other ones are running back Chris Brooks, edge defender Brenton Cox Jr., nose tackle Jonathan Ford, tackle Darian Kinnard, edge defender Arron Mosby, and tight end Josh Whyle. Theoretically, Cox and Kinnard are the two ones with realistic chances of getting tendered.
Depth issues
With Wilson (and presumably Brooks) not getting an RFA tender, the Packers enter free agency with a thin depth at running back. Beyond starter Josh Jacobs, the 90-man roster only has MarShawn Lloyd, who has barely played in the NFL due to a sequence of injuries, plus Damien Martinez and Pierre Strong Jr., who signed future deals after finishing last season on the practice squad.
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