The Green Bay Packers had a safety room with Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, and Anthony Johnson Jr. in 2023. In one offseason, the front office completely rebuilt the unit, signing Xavier McKinney in free agency and drafting both Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, and Kitan Oladapo in 2024.

That’s a major success story of how it’s possible to get better with significant and smart investments in one specific spot. But it’s not all flowers for the team, at least from a long-term perspective.

Packers can have a real challenge at safety

Because the Packers signed McKinney to a four-year deal and drafted those three players in the same class with four-year contracts as well, all four of the top safeties on the roster are under contract through 2027 — their deals expire at the same time.

Jaylin Simpson, Mark Perry, and Johnathan Baldwin are all depth pieces with one-year deals, slated to become exclusive rights free agents, and Murvin Kenion II is an undrafted rookie under contract through 2028. But these are minor pieces of the puzzle.

McKinney, Williams, and Bullard are the big ones. And they all share the same timeline. For now, the Packers couldn’t have had a much better safety group. Soon, though, there will be real questions about who to keep and who to let go.

The veteran

McKinney had two All-Pro seasons for the Packers and he will be 27 by August, so he’s young enough to potentially earn a third NFL deal. The defensive back is slated to make $13.35 million in 2026 and $16.75 million in 2027, a reasonable amount of money based on his level of play.

However, because the Packers restructured his deal this offseason, his cap hit goes from $9.86 million in 2026 to $24.8 million in 2027, with $6.921 million of dead money after his deal expires in 2028.

In order to keep that money prorated and possibly reduce his 2027 cap hit, a contract extension would be a natural solution. And if he keeps playing at such a high level, that would be almost inevitable. The question, though, is who the Packers will prioritize.

The youngsters

A fourth-round pick, Evan Williams surprised and became the starting safety as a rookie, forcing the Packers to move Javon Bullard to the slot on a full-time basis. Williams will make $1.075 million this year, but his salary next year will likely jump due to a proven performance escalator — for a playing time threshold or even as a Pro Bowler if things go right. Bullard makes $1.828 million this year, and could potentially get the PPE as well.

Williams is certainly the better of the two as a safety, but Bullard brings value due to his versatility to play multiple defensive back spots.

It’s possible that the Packers keep all three, but that would require a significant amount of resources for one specific position group — and one that isn’t considered premium. So far, though, there aren’t natural replacement options.

This is not a question the Packers have to answer now. The 2026 season will be massive to help determine what the front office should do — and how it should proceed to create alternatives before the final decision. Likely, all of them will be around for at least two more years, and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has a big opportunity to take advantage of their performances to build a strong secondary despite questionable cornerback options.