The Green Bay Packers enter the offseason with their most salary cap flexibility since 2019. It won't be surprising if they match that year's aggressiveness in free agency.
General manager Brian Gutekunst said the Packers need to show more urgency, noting that "it's time that we start competing for championships." Green Bay has a talented young team and isn't far away from joining the NFC's best, but how can it turn a promising 11-6 season into Super Bowl contention?
The roster construction period begins in March at the start of the new league year. The Packers have the financial flexibility to sign free agents or trade for veteran players. Over The Cap projects that Green Bay will have a little over $40 million to spend. It's a breath of fresh air after years of needing to restructure contracts just to get under the cap.
That number is flexible, and the Packers can pull several levers to create more cap space if and when they need to.
Note: All salary cap numbers in this article are according to Over The Cap.
How the Packers can create $51 million in cap space this offseason
Cuts or trades
Player | Cap Savings |
|---|---|
Jaire Alexander | $6.84 million |
Matt Orzech | $1.17 million |
Total | $8.01 million |
The Packers can clear space by releasing or trading veteran players. There are only two realistic departures that could create a decent chunk of cap space.
All signs seem to point toward Jaire Alexander departing this offseason. He has played just 14 games over the past two seasons and admitted his future is uncertain. The Packers could save just under $7 million this year, although the biggest cap savings would come in 2026.
Green Bay may need a new long snapper this offseason. Matt Orzech didn't have a great year, earning an awful 34.5 Pro Football Focus special teams grade. The Packers could make a small cap saving by moving on, although at least some of that would go toward replacing him.
Restructures
Player | Cap Savings |
|---|---|
Jordan Love | $8.98 million |
Rashan Gary | $10.19 million |
Kenny Clark | $5.5 million |
Xavier McKinney | $7.15 million |
Elgton Jenkins | $5.52 million |
Josh Jacobs | $4.35 million |
Keisean Nixon | $1.5 million |
Total | $43.19 million |
The Packers need to be very careful when it comes to restructuring contracts. They made a bunch of restructures out of necessity in recent years, but they no longer need to. The issue with restructuring contracts is the money you save now gets kicked into future years — it's effectively pushing the can down the road.
That said, a few smart restructures can help create more cap flexibility in the short term without significantly hurting the future. The cap will likely keep rising in future years, making it easier to push some of this year's money down the road.
The Packers certainly won't make all of the above restructures, but they have plenty of options should they need to create cap space. Again, they don't necessarily need to start restructuring deals, but if there is a big free agent or trade they wish to make, they at least have several options.
Gutekunst can make the moves he wants to, no matter how bold they might be. For example, let's say he wants to trade for Maxx Crosby. Nothing would prevent the Packers financially from making it work, although the required draft capital they'd have to give up is another story.