Now that the New League Year has officially begun, we can go ahead and grade what the Green Bay Packers has done so far. Unless something completely unforeseen happens, these deals will go through as agreed upon.

On Monday, the Packers agreed to deals with guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Nate Hobbs. Meanwhile, defensive tackle TJ Slaton and cornerback Eric Stokes have gone to other teams.

Signing G Aaron Banks: C-

The idea of adding an interior offensive linemen is perfect. The idea of choosing Aaron Banks, a decent player with system familiarity, is fine. But the execution is certainly questionable. The Packers gave him a four-year, $77 million contract.

And while there is “only” $27 million in fully guaranteed money, the practical guarantees reach $47.5 million because he’s nearly uncuttable before two seasons.

Choose any offensive line metric and you will see mediocre at best numbers from Banks throughout his three years as a starter in San Francisco. In 2024, he was 38th in pass block win rate and 46th in run block win rate out of 64 guards, and that was his best season in the NFL.

In pass block efficiency, he was tied for 42nd out of 83 guards. And 48th out of 83 in pressures allowed. There's a frequent argument that he has allowed only two sacks in three years, but sacks are mostly a quarterback stat. If Banks allowed pressures that didn't turn into sacks, that's a praise for Brock Purdy, not the offensive lineman.

Ideally for the Packers, Banks will become a top-level starter under Matt LaFleur, and that will free up their long-term plan for the group. But “they know more than you” and “they can get out of the contract early” are not the best arguments you would hope for.

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Signing CB Nate Hobbs: B

Hobbs also made more than the market projections would indicate, that’s why he won’t get an A here, but it was a much better move for the Packers. With Hobbs, the Packers get a player with relevant positional versatility.

While he’s primarily a slot corner, he has a real track record playing in the boundary as well, and the Packers could use him there in base defense. Also, the cash flow is much team-friendlier than Banks’, which gives the Packers more cap flexibility if needed moving forward.

Ultimately, the Packers needed to address the cornerback position, because there were not enough options left with Jaire Alexander moving on and Eric Stokes going to the Raiders in free agency.

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Re-signing Isaiah McDuffie: B-

McDuffie is a decent depth player and a positive special teamer, so keeping him is not a bad move. However, giving a two-year, $8 million contract to a backup linebacker seems to be a little too rich. The Packers have made questionably high investments at the position, including a big contract that went South to De’Vondre Campbell and a first-round pick in Quay Walker. Now that Edgerrin Cooper has the potential to be a star, maybe they could use more resources elsewhere. But the front office wants to invest in depth, and a guy that Jeff Hafley has known for a long time is their option.

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Re-signing Brandon McManus: A-

If you think $5.1 million per year is too much for a kicker, think about how costly it was for the Packers to lose a playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers because Anders Carlson couldn’t convert a 41-yard field goal. Yes, McManus isn’t perfect and also missed a playoff field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the veteran gave an impressive level of stability at the position for Green Bay.

Moreover, there isn’t a mid-level market for kickers. It’s basically players on rookie deals, minimum veterans, and established veterans making $5 million per season or more.

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Letting TJ Slaton walk: B-

The Packers don’t have a run-stuffer interior defensive lineman anymore, and it’s not great. At the same time, do they need one? In 2023, he had played 56% of the defensive snaps in the last season of Joe Barry as the Packers defensive coordinator. Last year, the first with Jeff Hafley, his snaps went down to 39%. First, Green Bay doesn't use three down linemen much anymore. Additionally, Hafley requests more pass rush and less run-stop ability from his defensive tackles. After all, Slaton is a fine depth piece, but wasn't worth the cost.

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Letting Eric Stokes walk: B

If you had 10 possible outcomes of Eric Stokes’ time with the Packers four years ago, what actually happened would probably be the worst one. A first-round pick in 2021, Stokes was put in a tough position early on and played at a high level as a true CB1. The expectations entering Year 2 were sky high. The plan never materialized, though, mostly because injuries robbed him what he did best. Maybe the Raiders can get a better version of him, but it’s impossible to blame the Packers for letting him go elsewhere.

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