Green Bay Packers: Can they afford to lose JC Tretter in free agency?
A big piece of Green Bay Packers news that has emerged this past week is that center JC Tretter is likely in line for a huge contract that will force the Packers to let him walk in free agency.
From Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"Center JC Tretter has a large free-agent market and is expected to receive offers more lucrative than the Green Bay Packers will match, according to a source close to the situation, paving the way for his exit from the team that drafted him."
Ted Thompson rarely lets a talented draft pick walk after their rookie contract. But Tretter’s situation is far more nuanced than most.
First of all, he’s only started ten games in his career: three in 2015, and seven last year. Second, injuries have forced him to miss 33 games in just four seasons, according to Michael Rodney of PackersNotes.com. Finally, he’s shown the versatility to play any offensive line position, though his best spot is still probably center.
Tretter has played extremely well in his limited time. He was Pro Football Focus’ ninth-ranked center last season with a grade of 84.1. Corey Linsley, for comparison, ranked twelfth with a grade of 83.7.
According to Cohen, that performance is going to price Tretter out of Green Bay.
So where does that leave the Packers?
They’ll be fine at center with Linsley, who is less athletic than Tretter but more powerful and more consistently available. The questions arise when considering the rest of the offensive line.
T.J. Lang is also a free agent this offseason. He’s battled a few nagging injuries to be a consistently excellent player throughout his career, earning his first Pro Bowl nod this past season. The 29 year-old guard deserves to be paid, but it might not be by the Packers.
If Lang and Tretter both leave, then the Packers could be in for a lot of trouble in the interior of their offensive line. Starting at right guard opposite Lane Taylor would need to be either a draft pick, a free agent signing (haha), or one of the current reserves.
The only other guard currently under contract is Lucas Patrick, an undrafted free agent from last year’s class. Jason Spriggs and Kyle Murphy might be able to move inside in a pinch, but they were drafted as tackles.
The way I see it, losing both Tretter and Lang would be costly for the Packers.
Aaron Rodgers has made some incredible plays, especially in the red zone, by maneuvering in the pocket for seven or eight seconds at a time. Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL, but he’s still greatly aided by one of the league’s best pass-blocking lines.
If Tretter and Lang both depart, the starters at guard would be Taylor and either a draft pick, Patrick, or potentially Kyle Murphy or even Don Barclay if he’s re-signed. Barring the completely unexpected, that will be a steep drop-off from Lang and Josh Sitton just two years ago. And there would be essentially no depth.
It’s not entirely clear if the Packers think Tretter would be a good fit to replace Lang at guard. Still, he’s a better option than anything else the Packers currently have.
So to answer the question in the article’s title, I would say that the Packers should not try to survive the loss of Tretter if they also plan on letting Lang walk. The offensive line is a huge part of Aaron Rodgers and the offense’s success, and losing these two players would greatly weaken that strength.
This team has plenty of holes to address on both offense and defense. If it can be avoided at a reasonable price, there’s no sense in adding more draft needs to the list. So if Tretter is indeed going to leave, the Packers should do their best to re-sign Lang.