Notable Free Agents: Bryan Bulaga, Mason Crosby, Blake Martinez, Geronimo Allison.
Projected Cap Space: $15-19 Million (projection dependent on salary cap rising to a reported $201 million).
First Round Draft Pick: Pick 30
The Packers, identified by some as being a ‘fraudulent’ roster with a 13-3 record only serving to mask the discrepancies plaguing the team, will now look to put to bed any unanswered critics next season following Sunday night’s ‘one-way’ loss at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers impeccable running game. And despite future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers being subject to blind ridicule from ‘soap opera’ TV analysts and couch pundits alike, the Packers do have a quality base to kick on from.
Recent drafts have produced young starlets in the form Jaire Alexander and Rashan Gary and due to cap space limitations, owing largely to Aaron Rodger’s contract, the Packers will again turn all attentions to the draft in a plea to continue their upward trajectory to championship glory once more.
Re-signings
The lack of standout Packers players due for renewal this off-season will prove to be a brief moment of respite for the Packers front office and first year Head Coach, Matt LaFleur. But the Green Bay faithful will have to spectate and wait patiently as their teams cap space position forces them to be shrewd with who they plan to bring back to Lambeau Field.
Players in the form of Bryan Bulaga and Blake Martinez may be pushed to chase down contracts elsewhere with only Mason Crosby, one of the most formidable kickers to grace an NFL field in recent years, proving to be the only viable re-signing option for the Packers moving forward.
The team of green and yellow will also have one eye on next year’s re-signing period as leading players David Bakhtiari and defensive tackle Kenny Clark look for the additional zeros strewn across any potential forthcoming contracts.
Free Agency
If the Packers are to reach the starry heights of their 2011 season again or the reminiscent days when Brett Favre captained the Green Bay ship, then Rodgers needs weapons. And quick. The lack of a consistent threat out wide, besides the seemingly ‘one-man band’ effort coming from the ever-reliable Devante Adams, finally came home to roost this weekend.
The lack of production and unceasing sub-par performances from the likes of receivers Geronimo Allison and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will now force the Packers to turn their hand and send them packing to pastures new. But with their cap space or lack therefore of it unlikely to attract players the calibre of Amari Cooper, the Packers fortunes and ability to rebuild this area of their roster may rest on finding young missed potential or proven veterans acting as a stop-gap to the next crop of budding NFL players permeating the forthcoming draft.
Look for the Packers to pursue cheap contracts in the form of Danny Amendola on a one year deal or a return to Lambeau field for Packers’ favourite Randall Cobb in an attempt to steady the ship.
2020 Draft (First Round Potential Pick)
With a run to the NFC Championship comes a draft position with a bad taste of disdain but of acceptance too. Despite picking in the depths of the first round, Green Bay may look to shake things up this year in their pursuit of providing Aaron Rodgers with the potential weapons already deemed inevitable NFL successes by draft analysts. But with a wide-receiver class swimming in potential talent the wisdom of this move may prove foolish.
In a class containing the likes of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III and Tee Higgins to note a few, the Packers may find it substantial to play the waiting game and take whoever falls. But with LaFleur and co looking to make their stamp on the league now rather than later, the temptation to resist may lead to an exciting period of off-season moves and trades for the Packers as they look to improve their draft stock.