Sometimes you've got to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. The Green Bay Packers, historically speaking, hold onto their own draft picks too long, if anything, but not in the case of 2021 first-round cornerback Eric Stokes.
The Packers, after declining Stokes's fifth-year option, couldn't wait to let him leave in 2025 free agency, where he signed a prove-it deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. And that prove-it deal has just resulted in a multi-year, big-money extension for Stokes in Vegas, proving the Packers were wrong to move on when they did.
Especially with the cornerback position a need for the team once again in 2026, revisiting the approach to Stokes's situation in hindsight looks like a mistake by GM Brian Gutekunst.
Former Packers first-round pick Eric Stokes gets a big-money extension from the Raiders
According to media reports, Stokes is signing a three-year contract with the Raiders worth $30 million in total money and $20 million in guaranteed cash.
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Last season, Stokes had 53 total tackles and five passes broken up in 16 games played, which may be the most important stat of them all. Stokes's time with the Packers was riddled with injuries, and he didn't exactly play at an elite level when he was healthy in 2024.
But last year for the Raiders, he proved why you need to be more patient with young players, and why the Packers should have probably been the team to bring him back for a year. He allowed a completion rate in his coverage of just 56.7 percent, and only one touchdown allowed all season.
Meanwhile, the Packers are searching for solutions at the cornerback position, and they don't have a first-round pick to work with this offseason.
In NFL free agency, everything involves inherent risk. The Packers decided to take a chance on Nate Hobbs, who ironically previously played for the Raiders. And Hobbs's first year with the Packers did not go well.
Hobbs played just 11 games for the Packers last season, and gave up 219 yards on just 19 completions in his coverage. Teams really picked on Hobbs and challenged his ability to defend downfield with an average depth of target of 12.3, by far the biggest number of his career in that category.
There's no point in crying over spilled milk, but the Packers need to learn from the experience with someone like Stokes, especially when it comes to premium positions. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence, and shockingly, it was Stokes who came out a winner in this whole saga.