Latest market development creates perfect window for the Packers to secure double win over division rival in the 2026 offseason
DJ Reader is set to become a free agent.
Defensive tackle is one of the biggest needs on the Green Bay Packers’ roster — especially someone who can reasonably play run defense. And a contract management style from a divisional rival could help them get a solid player soon.
On Friday, defensive tackle DJ Reader’s contract with the Detroit Lions voided. That means it will leave behind $3.729 million in dead money no matter what, and Reader is slated to hit free agency in March.
How it works
The Lions signed Reader to a two-year contract back in 2024, but added three void years (2026-2028) to spread the cap hit. But now it’s the time when the contract voids, and that money which has been paid but hasn’t hit the cap does now — dead money.
The Lions could theoretically still find a way to keep Reader in 2026 and beyond. But it would be much smarter to do it before voiding the contract. If the parties had reached an agreement before Friday, Reader’s old contract wouldn’t have voided, keeping the past prorations spread through the next three years.
Now that the contract is voided, everything will hit on the cap at once. So if the Lions re-sign Reader, the new value would be added on top of the $3.729 million cap hit in 2026. Now, it’s much more likely that Reader will in fact hit the open market.
In an exercise for A to Z Sports with a free agency mock draft, we took DJ Reader for the Packers, for example.
Ideal addition
DJ Reader could be an ideal scheme fit for the Packers, transitioning to Jonathan Gannon’s defensive philosophy. The veteran has alignment versatility — he’s played 3,171 career snaps in the B-gap and 1,510 snaps at true nose tackle. He can also play over the tackle.
Reader has shown some signs of regression over the past two years after a few dominant seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, but he’s still an above average interior rusher and a solid run defender.
Spotrac projects that he will get a two-year, $7.7 million contract ($3.9 million per year) in free agency. The bad news is, despite Reader’s contract voiding, he’s still subject to the compensatory pick formula.
But there are two positive factors in all of this: Addressing a huge roster need, while making your divisional rival worse. And that sounds good enough.