Packers free agent signing from just one year ago now surfaces in trade speculation as offseason unfolds
Nate Hobbs may be a trade candidate after all.
A year ago, Nate Hobbs was the big investment for the Green Bay Packers trying to solve the cornerback issue — especially because the roster had lost Eric Stokes and the front office knew it would eventually part ways with Jaire Alexander.
During the early stages of free agency last March, the Packers gave Hobbs a four-year, $48 million contract. Now, despite general manager Brian Gutekunst’s assurances that his plan is to keep Hobbs for 2026, his name surfaced as a trade candidate.
ESPN insider Dan Graziano and analyst Ben Solak put together a list of the top 15 trade candidates, and Hobbs is a part of it.
Trade scenario
The Packers still have Nate Hobbs under contract for three more seasons. But Graziano explained why he sees the cornerback going elsewhere.
“Hobbs was a free agent signing for Green Bay just last year. But he dealt with injuries in 2025 and bounced between slot corner and outside corner duties when he was on the field. He seems better cast as a slot corner, but the Packers aren’t short on those, and it’s possible they could see him as a valuable trade candidate who could help them pick up an extra draft pick or two. He has a $6.25 million roster bonus due on the third day of the league year, so if a deal happened after that, it’d be even cheaper for the acquiring team.
“Green Bay wasn’t the only team interested in Hobbs during free agency last year, and if there’s a slot corner market out there, it might make sense for the Packers to see what they can get.” — Dan Graziano
Hobbs is set to make $9.05 million in 2026, $10.05 million in 2027, and $10.7 million in 2028. It’s a reasonable contract for a starting-level cornerback. The big issues are health (Hobbs has struggled in terms of availability throughout his NFL career) and fit — hopefully for the Packers, Hobbs could be more useful in Jonathan Gannon’s scheme, but Javon Bullard is projected to start at nickel corner anyway.
As Graziano mentioned, Hobbs will earn a $6.25 million roster bonus on March 13. If the Packers pay that amount and trade him later, that wouldn’t be credited back, so that is some sort of deadline to trade him away.
If Hobbs is moved before that date, the Packers would have $12 million in dead money, clearing up just $838k in cap space — the bigger cap relief would come in the future, $14.05 million next year and $14.7 million in 2028.
The article indicates Hobbs has a 50% chance of getting traded, which seems too high at the moment, and mentions the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, and Buffalo Bills as potential fits.
Ultimately, it’s unlikely that the Packers move on from a player they added just a year ago. For that to happen, they would need real draft compensation — and it may be hard to get that based on Hobbs’ performance and availability last season.
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