Packers have around $14.5 million remaining in cap room after signings
The Green Bay Packers have limited cap room to use after the first week of free agency.
The Packers haven’t been too busy in free agency, and there’s a reason for that.
They made two affordable moves by signing linebacker Christian Kirksey and tackle Rick Wagner, who were cheaper than the players they are replacing. The reason for Green Bay’s quiet week is due to the limited available cap room.
According to Over The Cap, the Packers have $14.56 million remaining after their recent signings. Clearly, they are somewhat limited in what they can do.
That doesn’t mean they can’t continue to make signings, or even create more room for that matter. Russ Ball is a master of the salary cap and could structure new deals in a way to keep the Packers in a healthy position. But, of course, that is much harder to pull off with less than $15 million currently.
Roster moves such as releasing Lane Taylor or restructuring current deals could free up some more room. The fact Taylor remains on the roster perhaps suggests the Packers have a role for him in 2020. That could change, and maybe they’ll move on should they need to create cap room down the line.
As expected, Kirksey and Wagner have low cap numbers. Wagner’s cap hit in 2020 is $4.8 million. That number rises to $6 million in 2021, although the Packers can get out of the deal comfortably after one season. Kirksey’s cap hit for this season is $4.1 million. It rises to $8 million next year, but again, the Packers can get out of the contract before then.
Upcoming extensions for Kenny Clark, David Bakhtiari and potentially Aaron Jones, Corey Linsley and Kevin King further complicate things. It might be impossible to re-sign them all but extending Bakhtiari should be the No. 1 priority, although it won’t be cheap.
The Packers still have room to make moves, and the cap is flexible enough to make signings work. But Gutekunst and Ball will need to pick their moments carefully to ensure they’re spending the money wisely.