Packers: Potential salary cap bargains in 2019 season

The Green Bay Packers could have a number of key contributors on the roster in 2019 who won’t have much impact on the salary cap.

There’s always a lot of talk about which players on the roster have high cap hits, and which big-name free agents could be brought in each offseason. But the Green Bay Packers could have a few salary-cap bargains in 2019.

One player to watch is Muhammad Wilkerson. After signing a one-year, “prove it” contract with the Packers last offseason, Wilkerson went down with an injury after just three games and didn’t get much of an opportunity to prove he deserved a bigger contract.

My best guess is that the Packers could offer a similar deal to Wilkerson this offseason. And if he stays healthy, the former New York Jet could have a big impact in Mike Pettine’s defense.

Geronimo Allison, too, could have a big impact at a low cost. Allison is a restricted free agent, and the original-round tender would come with a cap hit of little over $2 million, according to Over The Cap. Allison stepped up as the team’s third receiver last season and played a key role before getting injured. One of Aaron Rodgers‘ top targets, Allison should be re-signed this offseason.

Aaron Jones — who will likely lead Green Bay’s backfield after averaging a league-best 5.5 yards per carry in 2018 — has a cap hit of just $695,487 in 2019. For comparison, fullback Dan Vitale and backup running back Kapri Bibbs are currently projected to have higher cap hits.

The team’s leader in tackles the past two seasons, Blake Martinez, will have a cap hit of just $2.10 million next season as he enters an important contract year. Kenny Clark, a first-round pick in 2016 and a key part of the defensive line, has a cap hit of just under $3 million.

All numbers are according to Over The Cap, where you can find all of the latest information about the Packers’ salary cap.

Jones, Martinez and Clark will deserve new, multi-year contracts in the near future, but the Packers are lucky to have them on the roster for low cap hits in 2019.