Packers Did Not Re-Sign All-Pro LB Campbell

That doesn’t mean De'Vondre Campbell won’t return to the Packers. It’s just that his contract has voided and a financial deadline has come and gone.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Contrary to what De’Vondre Campbell’s Instagram story seemed to hint at on Sunday, the All-Pro linebacker did not re-sign with the Green Bay Packers, a source said on Sunday night.

With that, his deal-of-the-century contract has voided, as did the contracts of three other players.

That doesn’t mean Campbell won’t return to the Packers. It’s just that a small financial deadline came and went on Monday.

Campbell joined the Packers in June on a one-year deal worth $2 million. That included a $1.01 million signing bonus that was prorated over five years for accounting purposes to make it fit under Green Bay’s cap. With the contract having voided on Monday, the remaining $808,000 of cap proration has accelerated onto the 2022 cap as dead money.

A re-signing before the void would have prevented that from happening.

The Packers talked to Campbell about a week ago about their desire to do a deal but they have not talked since and have not talked about dollars and cents, his representation said on Monday morning.

A Twitter report, which has since been deleted, said the Packers and Campbell were close to a multiyear extension. On Monday, the representative called that “an outright lie.”

The Packers do want to keep Campbell but Campbell might want to explore free agency – the negotiating period begins on March 14 – to see what an All-Pro season can do for him. He will turn 29 on July 1. After settling for back-to-back one-year deals, this could be his last chance at a big-time contract.

“Yeah, that was my whole thought process from the time I signed, just to kind of reintroduce myself,” Campbell said after being named All-Pro. “Casuals don’t really know who I am, but people who watch tape, people who know the game of football [know]. I get told week in and week out from the people I compete against, ‘You’re a hell of a player and you always have been.’ I’m just glad that people are starting to realize it. That just kind of makes me feel good. Something I’ve always known, but to hear it from other people, you always kind of need that reassurance, so that was a huge goal of mine, just kind of re-establishing myself.”

The Packers almost certainly wouldn’t have finished with 13 wins if not for Campbell going from June budget signing to first-team All-Pro. Even while sitting out the season finale against Detroit, Campbell finished seventh in the NFL with 145 tackles. Before sitting out the finale, he led the NFL with 101 solo tackles.

Of the 34 players with at least 107 tackles, Campbell and Washington’s Cole Holcomb were the only players with at least one sack, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Campbell was the only linebacker in the league with 100-plus tackles and at least two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

With Campbell and Oren Burks slated to be free agents, the inside linebacker depth chart is topped by Krys Barnes and Ty Summers. That makes inside linebacker a hugely important position this offseason.

Quarterback Depth Chart

Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, Kurt Benkert (PS), Danny Etling (F).

So long as Rodgers returns – and the Packers say they want him back – then the top of the depth chart is set. If Rodgers returns, will the Packers keep Love and can Benkert hold off Etling?

Running Back Depth Chart

Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Kylin Hill (IR), Patrick Taylor.

The Packers will have Jones and Dillon for at least the 2022 season. Jones’ cap number for 2022 is $9.75 million but there are no cap savings from releasing him and moving forward with Dillon as the undisputed No. 1 back. If Aaron Rodgers doesn't return, it will be up to these two to carry the offense. Literally.

Receiver Depth Charts

WR 1: Davante Adams, Equanimeous St. Brown, Juwann Winfree.

WR 2: Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Malik Taylor (IR), Chris Blair (PS).

Slot: Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Rico Gafford (F).

Adams will be the best player in free agency – assuming the Packers let him get to free agency. They could use the franchise tag, which is incredibly expensive at about $20 million, though that could be a place-holder for a long-term extension if the Packers officially hitch their wagon to Rodgers for the long haul.

Valdes-Scantling had a quiet season due to injuries but is a proven big-play threat and could be priced out of Green Bay. Lazard will be a restricted free agent. His gritty skill-set might be valued more by the Packers than other teams.

Cobb is under contract through 2022 but with a cap charge of about $9.6 million. The Packers could move on and create more than $6.8 million of cap space. That would not be a popular move in Rodgers' eyes; then again, Rodgers threw him only one pass on Saturday night.

Offensive Line Depth Charts

LT: David Bakhtiari, Yosh Nijman.

LG: Elgton Jenkins (IR), Jon Runyan.

C: Josh Myers, Jake Hanson, Michal Menet (PS).

RG: Lucas Patrick, Royce Newman.

RT: Billy Turner, Dennis Kelly, Cole Van Lanen (PS).

In a perfect world, maybe the Packers could let Patrick and Kelly walk, save $3.4 million by releasing Turner, and line up with a five-man group of Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Myers, Runyan/Newman and Nijman. But if this year taught you anything, it’s that depth on the offensive line is vital.

Tight End Depth Charts

TE 1: Robert Tonyan (IR), Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis.

TE 2: Marcedes Lewis, Dominque Dafney.

Coming off a breakout season of 11 touchdowns in 2020, few people in the NFL lost as much money in 2021 as Tonyan due to his midseason ACL tear. Maybe he’ll be ready sometime in training camp, but will he be the same downfield threat? The beloved Lewis, whose fumble turned the tide on Saturday, is under contract for 2022 with a cap charge of about $4.5 million. They could release him and save $2.4 million but who’d block?

Defensive Line Depth Charts

DE: Dean Lowry.

NT: Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton.

DE: Tyler Lancaster, Jack Heflin (F).

Lancaster’s been a reliable meat-and-potatoes run defender. Will his last key play be the blocked field goal that he allowed? With the late-season release of Kingsley Keke and the decisions to not retain practice-squad players Abdullah Anderson and RJ McIntosh, the Packers are incredibly thin on the defensive line. And that’s with Lowry on the roster at a cap charge of $8 million (potential savings of $4 million). D-line and receiver will need multiple additions in the draft.

Outside Linebacker Depth Charts

OLB: Preston Smith, Whitney Mercilus, Tipa Galeai, Randy Ramsey (IR).

OLB: Rashan Gary, Za’Darius Smith, Jonathan Garvin, Chauncey Rivers (IR), La’Darius Hamilton (PS).

The Texans dumped Mercilus to escape the rest of a four-year, $54 million contract. The Packers paid him the league minimum. He’ll turn 32 before camp. The big question is what the Packers will do with The Smith Bros. With a cap charge of almost $27.7 million, the Packers could save $15.3 million by releasing Za’Darius Smith. With a cap charge of $19.75 million, the Packers could save $12.5 million by releasing Preston Smith. The former seems much more likely than the latter. Preston Smith had a big-time bounce-back season and formed an excellent tandem with Gary. An extension would take the sting out of his cap charge.

Inside Linebacker Depth Charts

ILB: Krys Barnes, Oren Burks, Ray Wilborn (PS).

ILB: De’Vondre Campbell, Ty Summers (IR), Isaiah McDuffie.

Campbell joined the Packers in June with a one-year contract worth $2 million. He figures to earn an annual salary of five times that much as a free agent following an All-Pro season in which he was a dominant, game-changing player on the field and a popular player in the locker room. The good news is he was a field-tilting player. The bad news is he’s probably priced himself out of Green Bay. If that’s the case, it would create a giant hole in the middle of the defense.

Cornerback Depth Charts

CB 1: Rasul Douglas, Kevin King, Kiondre Thomas (F).

Slot: Jaire Alexander, Chandon Sullivan, Shemar Jean-Charles.

CB 2: Eric Stokes, Kabion Ento (PS).

Did any player in the league earn a bigger raise than linebacker De’Vondre Campbell? Perhaps it’s Douglas, who was signed off Arizona’s practice squad in October. The good news is he saved the defense following Alexander’s shoulder injury. The bad news is he probably earned a lucrative contract somewhere else. The undervalued Sullivan played the fifth-most snaps on the defense. In five seasons, King played 40 percent of the snaps in just two of his five seasons.

If the Packers can somehow keep Douglas, a three-man corner group of Douglas and Stokes on the perimeter and Alexander in the slot would about as good as it gets in the NFL.

Safety Depth Charts

SS: Adrian Amos, Vernon Scott, Shawn Davis.

FS: Darnell Savage, Henry Black, Innis Gaines (PS).

Safety is the only position without a scheduled free agent, though the rock-solid and supremely reliable Amos could be a cap-saving cut just because the team has to find the money somewhere. With a cap charge of almost $12 million, moving on would save about $4.7 million against the cap.

Special Teams Depth Charts

K: Mason Crosby, JJ Molson (PS).

P: Corey Bojorquez.

LS: Steven Wirtel.

Bojorquez has a lot of talent but consistency and holding on kicks were issues. Crosby is under contract through 2022 and is coming off a dismal season – not all his fault – and will turn 38 just before the start of the season. The Packers would save $2.4 million against the cap by creating a kicking competition for the rocket-legged Molson.