Packers shouldn’t overspend at edge rusher in free agency

The Green Bay Packers shouldn’t overspend at edge rusher in free agency.

Free agency gets underway this week, and we can expect Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst to be active in his search for pass-rush help.

Gutekunst said at the combine that the Packers will be “very aggressive in the conversations that we have”, according to Packers.com.

While fixing the pass rush is important this offseason, Gutekunst shouldn’t overspend.

Many of the top edge rushers who were set to hit free agency are now unavailable. DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney, Dee Ford and Frank Clark were all franchise tagged last week.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Saturday that the Packers, along with the San Francisco 49ers, are interested in trading for Ford. But it all comes down to what the Kansas City Chiefs want in the trade, and the long-term contract Ford wants.

By trading for him, Green Bay would take on Ford’s one-year contract under the franchise tag, and would almost certainly aim to agree a long-term deal over the summer.

In the past two seasons that Ford has played 15 or more games (he missed 10 games in 2017), he has a combined 23 sacks, including a career-best 13 in 2018. Ford would be a great addition to Mike Pettine’s defense, and he would be reunited with new outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, who worked with him in Kansas City.

If the Chiefs are willing to accept the No. 44 overall pick in a trade, I think it’d be a great move for the Packers. But a first-rounder may be too much to send when you consider the long-term contract on top of that.

But if the 49ers are also interested in trading for Ford, the Packers will have competition, and that will only make it more difficult to agree a deal.

If the Packers miss out on Ford, they shouldn’t spend big money for the sake of it at the position.

Trey Flowers, for example, is the best free agent pass rusher available. As a result, he’s likely going to be paid a lot of money. Spotrac’s calculated market value has Flowers receiving a deal for about $78.9 million over five years, averaging out at $15.7 million per year. If Flowers signed a deal like that in Green Bay, he would have the second-highest average salary on the roster, behind only Aaron Rodgers, according to Spotrac.

Flowers is a great player and he’s still young, but he’s never put up double-digit sacks in a season. Flowers finished 2018 with a career-best 7.5 sacks.

While the importance of improving the pass rush is high, Gutekunst shouldn’t overspend in free agency. Names to watch include Za’Darius Smith and Shaquil Barrett. Both players would help improve the pass rush, but would also likely leave the team with plenty of cap room to work with at other positions.

The Packers can still improve the pass rush in free agency without overspending, before turning to the draft, where the talent at edge rusher is deep.