Green Bay Packers Free Agency Tracker
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sunday’s bombshell re-signing of Aaron Jones took one of the Green Bay Packers’ top players off the free-agent market. Here is a look at the rest of Green Bay's free agents.
Unrestricted Free Agents
RB Aaron Jones: Re-signed. A fifth-round compensatory draft pick in 2017, Jones has been nothing short of fantastic. In four seasons, he ranks tied for fourth in franchise history with 37 rushing touchdowns and 11th with 3,364 rushing yards. With another 1,000-yard season, he’ll blow past the likes of Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Tony Canadeo and move into fourth place on the franchise list. He ranks sixth in NFL history among running backs in yards per carry.
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C Corey Linsley: Signed with the Chargers. His departure was expected. The Packers probably couldn't afford Linsley, the first-team All-Pro center. According to Sports Info Solutions, Linsley didn’t allow a sack or a stuff (a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage vs. the run). Among centers with 500-plus snaps, he had the third-lowest blown-block rate at 0.6 percent, according to SIS. He wasn’t penalized, either. He did miss three full games and most of two others due to injuries, though, and he’ll be 30 at the start of training camp.
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CB Kevin King: Re-signed. Limited once again by injuries, King went from five interceptions and 15 passes defensed in 2019 to zero interceptions and five passes defensed in 2020. He gave up two touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game to add another sentence to the tombstone that is the 2017 draft. Still, with the free-agent market at corner drying up, the Packers brought him back on a one-year deal.
TE Marcedes Lewis: Re-signed. Lewis will tun 37 in May and the Packers have major cap problems. Still, they’d be wise to bring “Big Dog” back on a fourth consecutive one-year contract because he’s a rugged blocker and key leader.
RB Jamaal Williams: Signed with the Lions. According to NFL Network, Williams signed a two-year deal worth up to $7.5 million to stay in the NFC North and form a tandem with D'Andre Swift. On Monday, Williams sent his goodbye message via Instagram. With Jones re-signed and second-round pick A.J. Dillon awaiting more carries, Williams’ career in Green Bay is over. Williams flourished in Matt LaFleur’s zone-based running game. After averaging 3.6 yards per carry as a rookie and 3.8 in his second seasons, those numbers were up to 4.3 last year and 4.2 this season. Williams doesn’t do any one thing at an elite level but he does everything at a winning level. The lack of an explosive element to his game led to a contract not worth enough money to qualify for a compensatory draft pick.
RB Tyler Ervin: Having excelled as a returner upon his late-season arrival in 2019, the Packers tried to make Ervin something he’d never been in his previous four seasons: a key part of the offense. Injuries, however, limited him to only eight games. Meanwhile, what he did best – return punts – suffered in the process.
S Will Redmond: Re-signed. Redmond logged 340 snaps on defense and 238 snaps on special teams. He’s tackled poorly and could have changed the NFC Championship Game had he not let an interception go right through his hands late in the first half.
DT Montravius Adams: Signed with the Patriots. The fastest 300-pounder at the 2017 Scouting Combine, Adams’ four-year totals were 44 tackles, 1.5 sacks and four tackles for losses. His 11.8 snaps per tackle was the best among last year’s defensive linemen in 2020 but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and play with consistency.
DT Damon Harrison: Once the game’s top run-stopping defensive tackle, Harrison turned 32 in November. He played 15 quality snaps in the NFC Championship Game.
DT Billy Winn: Winn’s perseverance is remarkable. So is his injury history.
OT Jared Veldheer: He came out of retirement to join the Packers in 2019 and the Colts in 2020. He’ll turn 34 in June and is once against contemplating retirement.
G Lane Taylor: In 2019, he suffered a torn biceps tendon before the Week 3 game. In 2020, he sustained a torn ACL in the opener. So, after starting all but three games from 2016 through 2018, he’s started only three games the past two seasons.
WR Tavon Austin: The eighth pick of the 2013 draft, known for his elite speed, did absolutely nothing upon his late-season arrival. He caught all five passes thrown his way for just 20 yards. On punt returns, he averaged just 4.7 yards per runback with one turnover.
LB James Burgess: Burgess was signed off Atlanta’s practice squad on Sept. 10. He contributed three tackles on special teams before going on injured reserve. He started 21 games from 2017 through 2019.
Restricted Free Agents
TE Robert Tonyan: Second-round tender. Of the 34 tight ends who were targeted at least 40 times in the passing game, Tonyan was No. 1 in catch percentage (89.7), drop percentage (0.0) and passer rating (148.3), according to Pro Football Focus. He tied Travis Kelce for the tight end lead with 11 touchdowns.
CB Chandon Sullivan: Right-of-first-refusal tender. Sullivan had an understated season. Replacing venerable Tramon Williams in the slot, he finished second in the NFL in receptions allowed per slot-coverage snap, according to Pro Football Focus.
DT Tyler Lancaster: Re-signed. After recording 30 tackles in 16 games (10 starts) in 2019, Lancaster had 23 tackles in 15 games (three starts) in 2020. He had no sacks or quarterback hits. The Packers can do better than Lancaster; they can do worse, too.
S Raven Greene: When healthy, Greene became a big-time asset as the sixth defensive back/dime linebacker. In 2020, he averaged 32 snaps on defense and another 11 on special teams. However, all three of his seasons have wound up on IR.
QB Tim Boyle: Signed with the Lions: With the Packers needing to elevate Jordan Love on the depth chart, they did not tender Boyle. That was just as well for Boyle, whose path to playing time was blocked in Green Bay, anyway. Don't be surprised if he mounts a challenged to new Detroit starter Jared Goff.
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CB Parry Nickerson: The rocket-fast Nickerson was added off waivers at the end of training camp. He played two snaps on special teams, suffered a hamstring injury and went on IR.
Players Released
RT Rick Wagner: Contemplating retirement.
LB Christian Kirksey: Signed with Houston.