Packers Offseason Preview: Salary Cap, Free Agency, Draft, Needs
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The 2024 season fell short of expectations for the Green Bay Packers. Now, it’s time to look ahead to 2025.
Here is the outlook for the Packers in terms of the salary cap, free agency, the NFL Draft and team needs.
Packers’ Salary Cap Outlook
During the offseason, only the 51 most-expensive players count against the salary cap. Based on a 51-man roster and the addition of this year’s draft class, OverTheCap.com projects the Packers will have $38.03 million of cap space.
That’s the 12th-most cap dollars to spend but it also ranks last in the NFC North. According to OTC, the Vikings will have $57.29 million to spend, the Bears will have $54.50 million in their wallet and the Lions will have $46.20 million of space.
Getting Creative With the Cap
According to Over The Cap, the Packers could create an additional $55.55 million with simple contract restructures – the turning of base salary or roster bonuses into signing bonuses, which can be prorated over the life of the contract. By using this credit-card approach to cap management, the Packers would have about $93.68 million of cap space.
For instance, Xavier McKinney is due an $8.5 million roster bonus. With the pushing of a few buttons on the keyboard, that can be turned into signing bonus, which would create $5.67 million of cap space for 2024 while adding an additional $2.83 million to his cap charge in 2025 and again in 2026.
More aggressive transactions can create even more space.
Packers Have 11 Unrestricted Free Agents
The Packers are scheduled to have 11 unrestricted free agents. There are some good players on the list but none are absolutely vital to re-sign. In fact, just 14.6 percent of Green Bay’s snaps from scrimmage will be hitting free agency, the lowest figure in the league.
Ranked by percentage of snaps played, they are:
Center Josh Myers: A second-round pick in 2021, he started 50 of a possible 51 games the past three seasons. Take PFF’s grades for what they’re worth, but Myers ranked 30th out of 32 centers who played at least 500 snaps this year. While charged with just one sack, he ranked 31st in its pass-blocking metric, which combines sacks, hits and hurries allowed per pass-protecting snap.
Linebacker Isaiah McDuffie: A sixth-round pick in 2021, McDuffie started all 17 games this season and 25 the past two seasons. He set career highs with 94 tackles (second on the team), three passes defensed and one forced fumble. He had 15 tackles at Detroit in December and a half-sack against the Eagles in the playoffs.
Cornerback Eric Stokes: A first-round pick in 2021, Stokes led the Packers with 14 passes defensed as a rookie. He didn’t break up a single pass his final three seasons. While he stayed healthy and played strong coverage when in the lineup, he got five snaps against the Bears in Week 18 and one against the Eagles in the playoffs.
Linebacker Eric Wilson: Wilson was a brilliant early-season addition in 2023. On defense, he started 12 games and had 63 tackles, two sacks, seven tackles for losses, one interception, one forced fumble and two passes defensed. He led the team in special-teams snaps and was tied for second with nine tackles. Against the Vikings in Week 17, he played all 72 snaps on defense and another 23 on special teams.
Defensive tackle TJ Slaton: A sixth-round pick in 2021, Slaton started 17 games each of the past two seasons. His tackle count dipped from 50 to 30, and he had one sack and two tackles for losses. He’s the one big guy on the defensive line and was a key cog in one of the NFL’s best run defenses.
Kicker Brandon McManus: After meandering the Wilderness of No Kickers, it was McManus to the rescue. In 11 games, he made 20-of-21 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-3 from 50-plus yards, and all 30 extra points. Of 31 kickers to try at least 20 field goals, he was second with a 95.2 percent success rate. But then he flubbed one in the playoff game.
Cornerback Corey Ballentine: A sixth-round pick by the Giants in 2019, Ballentine played in 37 games with seven starts in three seasons with the Packers. Between Nov. 2, 2020, and Nov. 6, 2022, Ballentine played zero defensive snaps. He started six games for the Packers in 2023, when he had his only career interception, and once in 2024. He had two tackles on defense and four on special teams (with a forced fumble).
Offensive tackle Andre Dillard: A first-round pick by the Eagles in 2019, Dillard made the roster as a backup tackle this year but barely played because Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom started every game. In 10 games, he played 13 garbage-time snaps on offense and 50 on special teams.
Cornerback Robert Rochell: A fourth-round pick by the Rams in 2021, Rochell failed to make Green Bay’s opening roster but wound up playing in 11 games. He played one snap on defense and 121 on special teams and contributed two tackles and one fumble recovery in kick coverage.
Running back AJ Dillon: A second-round pick in 2020, the Packers re-signed him to a one-year contract in free agency last offseason, but he spent the year on injured reserve due to a stinger. Dillon rushed for 803 yards in 2021, 770 yards in 2022 and 613 yards in 2023 with a total of 84 receptions during those seasons. He’d like to play again in 2025.
Tight end Tyler Davis: A sixth-round pick by the Jaguars in 2020, Davis with the Packers caught four passes in 2021 and four passes in 2022, when he led the team in snaps on special teams. However, he missed 2023 with a torn ACL and 2024 with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He’s just about finished with his rehab and will be ready for 2025.
What About Jaire Alexander?
Cornerback Jaire Alexander has missed 10-plus games three of the past four seasons. When he plays, he remains one of the best in the business. The problem is he barely plays. This year, he played 33.2 percent of the defensive snaps. He did not play in either game against Minnesota or Detroit; he hasn’t played against the Lions since 2022.
Even while playing in only seven games this year – with only 10 snaps in one of those – he tied for second on the team in interceptions (two) and passes defensed (seven).
Alexander is due base salaries of $16.15 million this season and $18.15 million in 2026, his final season under contract. If the Packers were to trade or release him, they’d create a bit less than $6.9 million of cap space for 2025.
A post-June 1 release would save the Packers about $17.1 million (with the difference pushed onto the 2025 cap).
Here are the specifics from Packers cap expert Ken Ingalls.
Fifth-Year Options
As first-round picks in 2022, the Packers have until May 1 to make decisions on the fifth-year options of linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
Neither player has met expectations but both have been solid contributors.
Even while missing the final three games of the regular season, Walker led the team with 102 tackles and was second with nine tackles for losses. He’s topped 100 tackles in each of his three seasons. Last year, the price tag would have been $14.48 million.
Wyatt had 5.5 sacks in 17 games in 2023 and 5.0 sacks in 14 games in 2024. He had three sacks in the first three games before an ankle injury sidelined him for three games and slowed him for several others. Just as he got rolling again, injuries slowed him at the end of the season. Last year, the price tag would have been $11.75 million.
2025 NFL Draft
Green Bay will host the 2025 NFL Draft, with the first round on April 24, the second and third rounds on April 25 and the final four rounds on April 26.
The Packers are scheduled to make eight selections. Tankathon projects those to be No. 23 of the first round, No. 54 of the second, No. 87 of the third, No. 122 of the fourth, No. 158 of the fifth, No. 196 of the sixth, No. 237 of the seventh and No. 250 of the seventh.
The first of those seventh-round picks is from the Preston Smith trade and the second is a projected free-agent compensatory pick for losing Yosh Nijman to Carolina last year.
The last two No. 23 picks landed standout receivers.
After two years of having a lot of draft capital because of the trades of Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, the Packers are on the other end of the spectrum for this draft.
Total Offseason Capital
When you combine salary-cap space with draft picks, here’s what you get for total offseason capital.
Packers’ Offseason Needs
Here is a quick look at every position group.
Quarterback: The whole group will be back, with backup Malik Willis set to play out the final year of his four-year rookie deal.
Running back: Other than Dillon, the whole group will be back. The Packers don’t need to add; they just need 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd to stay healthy.
Receiver: Christian Watson probably won’t be ready until close to midseason following his torn ACL, and coach Matt LaFleur said he “absolutely” was concerned Romeo Doubs’ latest concussion. Watson and Doubs will be free agents after the 2025 season. The group is good but, even at full strength, is it good enough?
Tight end: The Packers are strong here with Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave and Ben Sims all set to enter Year 3. John FitzPatrick will be a restricted free agent.
Offensive line: The Packers need a center, whether it’s re-signing Myers or signing/drafting his replacement. The Packers drafted three linemen in 2024, but first-round pick Jordan Morgan barely played due to shoulder injuries, fifth-round center/guard Jacob Monk didn’t play even after Myers was injured against the Eagles and sixth-rounder guard/tackle Travis Glover struggled and was benched when thrown into the fire against the Eagles.
Defensive end: There wasn’t a bigger disappointment on the team than the lack of a pass rush generated by former first-round picks Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness. The group as a whole is solid and they’ll all be back but there isn’t a game-wrecker.
Defensive tackle: Kenny Clark was excited about what the new defensive scheme could mean for him but, with a contract extension, he had just one sack and four tackles for losses. Other than perhaps Slaton, everyone will be back.
Linebacker: Walker and Edgerrin Cooper will be back, but McDuffie and Wilson will be free agents and Ty’Ron Hopper at this point is only potential.
Cornerback: With or without Alexander, this is the biggest need for the Packers, who need to add a top cornerback (and more). Somehow, with Keisean Nixon moving to perimeter corner, Stokes providing no ball production and rookie Javon Bullard learning on the job in the slot, Jeff Hafley made it work. Stokes, Ballentine and Rochell will be free agents.
Safety: This group is loaded with everybody coming back.
Specialists: Life was difficult without Mason Crosby until McManus arrived. He should be a priority re-signing. Punter Daniel Whelan, an exclusive-rights free agent, will be back, but long snapper Matt Orzech is replaceable.
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