Nothing lasts forever. Not in the NFL. We've seen franchise legends like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers go on to play for other teams, so there's no reason to believe that the Green Bay Packers would be stuck on other players currently on the roster. And in 2024, a number of fan favorites could be on their way out of Green Bay, especially in the name of salary cap savings.
The Packers are 5-6 at the time of this post being written, still very much in the playoff hunt. Depending on how the rest of the season goes, things can still change with guys currently under contract for 2024, even some with huge cap charges, but there are some figures on next year's books that will either have to change, or players will be let go.
Which fan favorites could end up getting cut in the 2024 offseason because of their massive salary cap charge combined with on-field play no longer justifying the investment?
1. Preston Smith, EDGE
2024 cap hit: $16.5 million (Dead cap: roughly $14 million)
Preston Smith has been a really strong addition for the Packers off the edge, but the team has been planning for his departure with some of the investments they've made in the NFL Draft, and the writing could be on the wall for him in 2024. Smith will be 32 years old next season, and the Packers will need to be ready to usher in the Lukas Van Ness era.
Smith's cap charge of $16.5 million is one of the biggest on the team next season, and with a dead cap of nearly $14 million, you might be wondering why it would be any sort of a good idea for the Packers to flat-out cut him. Well, if the Packers designate Smith as a post-June 1 cut, they would save $12.4 million in cap space (after June 1, of course).
Smith is due $5.4 million fully guaranteed on the third day of the new league year in 2024, so the Packers will likely have to make a decision on him quickly after the season. Again, luckily for them, they've already got pieces in place for a succession plan.
2. David Bakhtiari, OT
2024 cap hit: Roughly $40.47 million (Dead cap: roughly $19.07 million)
David Bakhtiari has been one of the best Day 3 draft picks of the last decade, regardless of team or position. He was an outstanding find by the Green Bay Packers, and both the Packers and Bakhtiari deserve a ton of credit for his development into arguably the best left tackle in the game at one point in time.
Sadly, though, his time as a Packer has likely come to an end. Welcome to the Jets...?
Bakhtiari has an albatross of a cap charge next year of nearly $40.5 million. That's more than many of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, and there's no way that's going to fly with the Green Bay front office. The Packers can add $21.4 million in cap space by cutting Bakhtiari, and they don't have to designate him as a post-June 1 cut. They can cut him at any point after the season and get those salary cap savings, and that will free them up to make a bunch of moves in free agency if they so choose.
And while it would be sad to see Bakhtiari leave Green Bay and almost inevitably join the New York Jets, I think it would be best for Green Bay to start moving forward with a new plan. You can almost feel the writing on the wall of this team using a first-round pick in 2024 on the left tackle position, can't you?
Luckily for the Packers, they have three selections in the first two rounds of next year's draft that they can use on the tackle position, and it's expected to be a loaded offensive tackle class.
3. Aaron Jones, RB
2024 cap hit: Roughly $17.72 million (Dead cap: $12.348 million)
It might be a painful cut, but the Green Bay Packers could absolutely cut or trade Aaron Jones at some point in the 2024 offseason. Jones has played in just seven games this season and is averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He was supposed to be a focal point of the offense as the Packers try to make as seamless of a transition to Jordan Love as possible, but his lack of availability and poor performance when on the field has certainly been illuminating, to say the least.
Jones is currently set to count nearly $18 million against next year's salary cap with over $12 million in dead cap if the Packers choose to move on. However, by making Jones a post-June 1 cut, the Packers can actually add $12 million in salary cap space next offseason which would help if they want to do any extensions in the summer, make any trades for other veterans, or possibly just start preparing to add larger contracts to the team in 2024 and beyond.
A cap charge of nearly $18 million for a running back is bordering on unheard of in today's NFL, so Jones -- who already accepted a pay cut this year -- might be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
This is the unfortunate reality of what happens when your guaranteed money runs out in the NFL, and Jones is more likely to be playing elsewhere in 2024 than in Green Bay. And this will lead us to a potential complete reset at the running back position with AJ Dillon also slated to hit free agency. Actually, Jones's situation could ultimately result in Dillon's future with Green Bay changing a little bit. Maybe the Packers will find a way to bring Dillon back and add another back in the draft.
One way or another, don't expect Aaron Jones's nearly $18 million cap charge to be on the books when 2024 rolls around.