What Can Packers Expect for Compensatory Picks?

Among others, Green Bay has lost Blake Martinez and Bryan Bulaga in free agency.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers potentially are in line to gain at least three compensatory draft picks in 2021 because of the comings and goings in free agency.

Nick Korte, who has been tracking and projecting compensatory draft picks for OverTheCap.com, projects the Packers will gain a fourth-round pick for losing linebacker Blake Martinez, a fifth-round pick for losing right tackle Bryan Bulaga and a sixth-round pick for losing outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell.

Martinez signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the New York Giants after setting a franchise record for tackles. Bulaga, coming off just his second season of 16 starts, joined the Los Angeles Chargers with a three-year, $30 million contract. Fackrell signed a one-year, $4.6 million contract with the New York Giants after going from 10.5 sacks in 2018 to one in 2019.

Why a fourth for Martinez and a fifth for Bulaga despite the identical contracts in terms of years and total money? That’s because, as Korte pointed out, Bulaga has played in 10 NFL seasons and, therefore, his “maximum value” is a fifth-round pick.

Green Bay was in line for gaining another compensatory pick, a potential seventh-rounder for losing linebacker B.J. Goodson to the Cleveland Browns, but that selection was canceled by its signing of receiver Devin Funchess. The Packers also lost fullback Danny Vitale to New England and receiver Geronimo Allison to Detroit but their contracts were not expensive enough to count in the formula.

Street free agents do not figure in the compensatory-pick formula, so the Packers neither gained one for Jimmy Graham signing a two-year, $16 million contract with Chicago nor lost one for signing linebacker Christian Kirksey and right tackle Rick Wagner.

Perhaps only general manager Brian Gutekunst knows whether his relative inactivity in unrestricted free agency this offseason is linked to a lack of cap space or his desire to accumulate additional picks to retool the roster. Compensatory picks were highly valued by former general manager Ted Thompson, who used the extra swings at the plate to select running back Aaron Jones (fifth round) in 2018, Martinez (fourth) and defensive tackle Dean Lowry (fourth) in 2017, defensive Mike Daniels (fourth) in 2012, cornerback Davon House (fourth) in 2011 and guard Josh Sitton (fourth) in 2008. 

Then again, Gutekunst went 0-for-3 – subject to change – with receivers J’Mon Moore (fourth), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (fifth) and Equanimeous St. Brown (sixth) as compensatory picks in 2018.