Free agency trends are perfectly aligned with what the Packers need in the market
The Green Bay Packers took a year to get their financial situation back on track. It was great for multiple reasons, because they ended up making the playoffs and winning a postseason game, but spending only $156.3 million when the salary cap was $224.8 million allowed Green Bay to recover from the complicated situation after […]
The Green Bay Packers took a year to get their financial situation back on track. It was great for multiple reasons, because they ended up making the playoffs and winning a postseason game, but spending only $156.3 million when the salary cap was $224.8 million allowed Green Bay to recover from the complicated situation after overspending in the last few years of the Aaron Rodgers era.
Now, the Packers are ready to invest again when the new league year begins next week. Sure enough, the cap increase to $255.4 million helps.
"It gives us some more flexibility," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said during the NFL Combine. "It's really about the decisions we make from here on out, and trying to stay flexible as we move forward over the next few years. But it certainly gives us a little bit more breathing room. Like I said before going into it, there wasn't going to be anything that prevented us from going after players or doing what we wanted to do, and this kind of cements that."
Positions of need
For the most part, the Packers tend to prioritize certain positions in the draft. Quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, cornerbacks. And it makes sense, since those are more valuable players from a philosophical standpoint.
Free agency serves, therefore, to supplement the rest of the roster. And from what has been speculated before free agency, this year's market fits perfectly with what the Packers need.
According to Dianna Russini, Senior NFL insider for The Athletic, off-ball linebackers, safeties, and running backs might suffer from a flat market — which is great for a team that needs them.
Everybody hates safeties
There were already intriguing safety pieces available set to be unrestricted free agents. Even with Antoine Winfield getting a franchise tag from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Kyle Dugger receiving the unusual transition tag from the New England Patriots, A to Z Sports' top 105 free agent list still had Xavier McKinney, Geno Stone, Jordan Whitehead, Jordan Fuller, CJ Gardner-Johnson, Micah Hyde, Jayron Kearse, and Jeremy Chinn.
Packers' former first-round pick Darnell Savage is also on the list, and the team has Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens hitting free agency as well.
The market got even more inflated because several teams decided to cut safeties in order to create cap space.
The most prominent name is Justin Simmons, cut by the Denver Broncos. But the list goes on and on with players like Jordan Poyer, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Kevin Byard, Rayshawn Jenkins, and Eddie Jackson.
Now, the options are plentiful, and there's a realistic scenario in which Gutekunst could add not only one, but multiple free agent safeties.
Running backs matter, but…
The Packers last year were a good example of how running backs matter, because the offense was a lot worse with AJ Dillon when Aaron Jones was hurt. However, teams know that it's an easier and cheaper position to replace.
So players like Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard, who received franchise tags last year, will now finally hit the market. Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler will be available as well.
A to Z Sports' top 105 list also has D'Andre Swift, Zack Moss, D'Onta Foreman, and Antonio Gibson.
With that influx of talent, even the top of the market is not that high. Barkley, for example, is projected to receive an yearly average of $10.5 million — and with that price tag, he might make sense for the Packers. But even if the market goes up, there will be several other options for Green Bay to find a complementary back to Aaron Jones.
Depth at linebacker
Unlike running backs and safeties, the off-ball linebacker market seems overpriced at the top. Players like Patrick Queen and Frankie Luvu might get more than what the Packers ideally would want to invest in a non-premium position.
Nonetheless, there will still be options. Jordyn Brooks and Malik Harrison are examples of pieces who might fit Jeff Hafley's scheme for a reasonable price.
The Green Bay Packers might attack some needs before the draft, and the market trends have been exciting from Brian Gutekunst's perspective.
Packers have the option to make a splash move and add a big piece to the offense
Saquon Barkley will finally hit the open market
