Packers: Grading free agency moves Green Bay has made so far

The Green Bay Packers have used a quiet, frugal approach to free agency thus far. Here is their grade.

There were consistent rumblings of the Packers having a chance at signing Cory Littleton or Austin Hooper in free agency, but both of those hopes dashed rather quickly.

The Packers have made two solid but confusing signings in an effort to bolster a roster that seemed to overachieve a bit in 2019. After 13 wins and a playoff game, the Packers were undoubtedly an elite team in Matt LaFleur’s first year, but a regression to the mean appears to be in store.

The Packers moved quickly to secure Christian Kirksey on a two-year, $13 million deal with $4 million guaranteed. When evaluating the market’s tendencies throughout free agency to this point, it’s clear that Brian Gutekunst and his staff had a very thorough grasp of what the dynamics of free agency this offseason were. For reference, the Chicago Bears signed a free-falling Jimmy Graham, who is six years older than Kirksey, to a two-year, $16 million deal.

It’s especially impressive work by the Packers as Kirksey’s deal was inked before the vast majority of other signings, which centered on a theme of two-year contracts. With the cap exploding in the near future with the new CBA passed, many agents are eager to have their clients re-enter the market in the near future.

With that said, the signing itself is a bit mystifying. The Packers had clearly moved on from Blake Martinez. Gutekunst was dealt an awful hand by his predecessor, who had Martinez and Jake Ryan as his starting linebackers. While both of them are known to be intelligent, efficient tacklers, they have about as much athleticism as a man who just finished a hot dog eating contest. Kirksey is in a different stratosphere from Martinez athletically but is far from an elite inside linebacker.

He is a solid, slightly up-and-down player who has been tantalizingly close to stardom for a couple of years. He has battled injuries over the last two years, which is an unusual type of signing for Gutekunst. The Packers have recently prioritized durable players such as Graham, Preston Smith, and Adrian Amos. Kirksey does have experience playing under the guidance of Mike Pettine, who has had a very questionable first two years as the man in charge of Green Bay’s defense.

The Packers also took themselves out of the running for any other inside linebacker in signing Kirksey so quickly. General managers and personnel members usually come away with a pretty good idea of how things will shake out after the scouting combine, but Cory Littleton’s free-agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders seemed to show a little too much frugality on the part of the Packers.

The Packers and Raiders, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, were going to be “all over” Littleton once the bell rung. Green Bay agreed to terms with Kirksey before the negotiating window even opened as he had been released by the Browns.

Littleton ended up signing a surprising three-year, $35 million deal with Las Vegas. The contract he signed was extremely unusual in that it does not include a single penny in signing bonus money, meaning nearly the entire base salary will count against Vegas’ cap.

Perhaps Littleton’s representation specifically wanted this type of contractual language, but it is clear that the Packers could’ve structured a contract for him that would not have broken their back. In fact, had the Packers come up to the widely expected $15 million per year floor in a potential deal for the All-Pro linebacker, a more traditional contract with a modest signing bonus would’ve counted less against Green Bay’s cap than it will against the Raiders’.

It was also reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the Packers were ”exploring what it would take to sign former Wisconsin inside linebacker Joe Schobert.” Schobert, a Pro-Bowler from two years ago, secured a lucrative deal with Jacksonville.

The Packers also came to terms with tackle Ricky Wagner on a two-year, $11 million deal. It instantly confirmed that Bryan Bulaga would not be returning to the Packers.

For starters, this kind of move suggested that the Packers do not particularly like the value of the offensive line at the 30th overall pick, where they will pick in the first round in April’s draft. Had there been a particular target or targets in the late-first-round range that the Packers were enamored with, this signing probably wouldn’t have happened.

Wagner’s deal is another economically sound, healthy signing by the front office. The Packers clearly feel that he is a schematic fit who would check off a position of need while not being forced to re-up Bulaga. Of course, no one would accuse Wagner of being as good as Bulaga. Wagner has had a solid career with the Ravens and Lions, but has had some consistency problems and has been a bit of a disappointment in the running game.

The Packers will probably start Billy Turner and Wagner on the right side of the line, which isn’t too exciting. The Packers have signed two more-or-less above-average offensive linemen in back-to-back years.

LaFleur may want to consider moving potential megastar Elgton Jenkins to right guard, and shift Turner to the left side to try to spread the wealth of the line. The re-signed Marcedes Lewis will likely be dispatched to this side of the line for most of his snaps. Turner and Wagner on the same side gives opposing defensive lines a clear idea of where to attack.

All told, the Packers showed that they had a very clear understanding of the market and showed a lot of health as a front office. But the Kirksey signing is puzzling as it did appear they could’ve added a massive piece to the middle of their defense at long last.

In signing two free agents that had been released by other teams, the Packers will still have the compensatory pick formula factor in only the losses of Martinez and Bulaga, which will likely net them at least two extra draft picks next year, perhaps as high as the fourth round. Gutekunst, with those extra picks expected to come his way, absolutely cannot make the same mistake he made during last season.

It was very clear that the Packers were not good enough to get to the Super Bowl when it was really time. The 49ers stampeded the helpless Packers twice with a punishing running game that “took away the manhood of the Packers” in the words of Troy Aikman.

Furthermore, the Packers still appear to have very limited targets in the passing game and will be trying to take advantage of the best wide receiver class in draft history to perhaps take a receiver in the first round for the first time since 2002. Even with the loaded talent in the draft, Aaron Rodgers is not exactly known as a dream quarterback for a rookie.

Gutekunst will need to trade for veteran help using late-round draft picks on both sides of the ball if necessary. Kirksey and Wagner are at best, lateral moves when factoring in the departed starters. The Packers are going to have to keep adding and will need to do so well after free agency has passed.

Grade: B+