3 free agents the Packers should sign this offseason
The Green Bay Packers team that steps on the field during week one of the 2022 NFL season will look vastly different than the team that stepped onto the field during week one of the 2021 NFL season.
Some key contributors will have been released to fill cap space, while other free agents will have signed contracts with other teams.
Of course, the biggest question mark for Green Bay is the future of MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who reportedly wants a contract with an AAV of about $50 million, ESPN’s Dianna Russini told the ‘Rich Eisen Show’.
While such a figure would take some salary-cap gymnastics for GM Brian Gutekunst and Director of Football Operations Russ Ball to pull off, it’s a price the Packers may be willing to pay for a player who has won the second most NFL MVPs in league history.
The Packers probably won’t have the cap space to make any flashy free-agent acquisitions this offseason. However, they’ll try to make some cheap additions around the margins that have the potential to become game-changers for the team, such as their signings of De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas last season.
If Rodgers returns for another season, Gutekunst and the Packers will have no choice but to go “all-in”. They’ll be forced to push even more salary cap to the future in the spirit of building a team that can win now. It will be a similar approach to that of the New Orleans Saints while they tried to capitalize on the final years of future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees’ final years.
Similar to my analysis of three players the Packers should trade for this offseason, these predictions will be made under the assumption that the Packers retain Rodgers and free up enough cap space through cuts, restructures, and extensions to have $10 million open for offseason acquisitions.
Let’s start with a player who can help shore up the weakest part of the Packers’ defense.
Note: Free-agent contract projections in this article are according to Pro Football Focus.
OLB Lorenzo Carter
This offseason, the Packers will likely need to let go of one or both of the Smith Brothers (Preston and Za’Darius Smith). Both Smiths are excellent pass rushers, and it’s very unlikely that Carter would be able to replicate their ability to rush the quarterback.
However, the former Giant has been a solid run-stopper during his time in New York. In 2021, Carter amassed 50 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. While he hasn’t been able to develop into an effective pass rusher at this point in his career, he’s still just 26 years old and was drafted to be a pass rusher.
He still has the talent to become a solid contributor in that facet of the game. If Carter signs with Green Bay, it’s possible that new outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich could unearth that talent. At worst, Carter would be a solid run stopper on the outside of the Packers’ defensive line.
PFF projects Carter to receive a two-year, $8 million deal. That’s the type of high-upside, low-cost deal that the Packers will need to make this offseason if they plan on improving upon their team from last season.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Carter has the size that Gutekunst usually searches for in his linebackers. It’s a price the Packers should be willing to pay for a young linebacker who can help the team improve upon a shaky run defense.
TE O.J. Howard
There were high hopes for the former Tampa Bay first-round pick when quarterback Tom Brady announced that he’d be signing with the Buccaneers during the 2020 offseason. However, he was quickly passed up in the depth chart by Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate, and never saw enough action to make an impact with Brady at quarterback.
Howard caught just 25 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns over the past two seasons combined. However, prior to Brady’s arrival, Howard was a solid tight end. In 2018, Howard caught 34 passes for 565 yards and five touchdowns. Still only 27 years old, Howard is only starting to enter his prime, and has the potential to be a key contributor for Green Bay, especially if they’re forced to let Robert Tonyan walk.
PFF projects Howard to receive a one-year, $4.13 million deal. Similarly to Carter, it would be a high-upside, low-cost deal. It would provide Rodgers with another dangerous receiver who has shown the ability to be a three-level threat out of the tight end position. It would give the Packers a unique combination of size and speed that they haven’t had for years.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
This would be a blockbuster move that would likely surprise many Packer fans if a deal were to be reached. Smith-Schuster was once thought to be one of the premier young receivers in the NFL, and was the heir apparent to Antonio Brown once he left Pittsburgh.
Things haven’t exactly worked out as Smith-Schuster hoped they would, as injuries and a lack of production have knocked him off of the NFL’s upper echelon of receivers. However, he’s still been a quality slot receiver for the Steelers. His 2021 season was interrupted by injuries, but in 2020, he caught 97 passes for 831 yards and nine touchdowns. He’d be an upgrade over Randall Cobb in the slot, and could become a dangerous weapon for Rodgers and the Packers’ offense.
PFF projects Smith-Schuster to receive a one-year, $8 million deal. If the Packers manage to free up the cap space necessary to sign him, they should absolutely try to pursue him. He gives the Packers a physical presence out of the slot that the team hasn’t had in years.
He’s been especially effective on third down, ranking in the top 15 in third-down receptions since he was drafted in 2017. However, I would be surprised if the Packers signed Smith-Schuster. He could be too expensive for Green Bay, and he’s the type of big name that Gutekunst has typically shied away from during his tenure as the Packers’ GM.