Packers free agency under Brian Gutekunst has been fairly predictable in execution, even if the players aren’t always expected. When Green Bay has money they spend it. Despite this, we always go through the same routine every year. Free agency begins. The Packers don’t sign someone within the first two hours. Fans panic and begin to demand Gute’s job, or lament how much better everybody else is getting.
Then the signings come. And suddenly that same loud part of the fanbase becomes accountants. Why so much money, we won’t have enough cap space, etc. Then the contract details come out and you’re suddenly reminded why Green Bay has been so successful relative to much of the league.
Take the two signings yesterday.
Aaron Banks. Four years, 77 Million. Those numbers come up and you have Packers fans up in arms and rival fans cracking jokes. Now its a day later and the full details still haven’t come out.
The other deal Green Bay signed shows just that. The Packers signed Nate Hobbs to a a 4 year 48 million deal with 16 million guaranteed. Again the only money guaranteed will be coming as a signing bonus.
This lets the Packers essentially pay these players by the year, and allows them to get out quickly if they don’t work out.
Now, I am writing this at 2:30 pm EST. There are still moves Green Bay could make today and the next few days. That being said, these two signings should help inform us about what the Packers plan to do next month at the draft.
Packers Draft Plans
Going into this next season the Packers had some fairly obvious areas of need. WR, EDGE, CB and OL.
Hobbs and Banks check off two of those, at least on the surface, so it stands to reason that the Packers may target WR and EDGE fairly early.
This may finally be the year that the Packers take a wide receiver in round 1. Potential targets could include Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden or Luther Burden.
Edge gets a little more dicey around that pick range, and I remain hopeful that the team still looks to add someone either via trade or free agency.
While they did bring in a corner, Hobbs has played almost exclusively from the slot. It wouldn’t stun me if they decided to try him outside, but if a player like CB Jahdae Barron from Texas fell to 23, Green Bay may still decide its worth investing in the position, especially if they move off Jaire Alexander.
Offensive line is the one spot of the four that I would be surprised to see the Packers spend a pick, barring an unexpected slide of somebody they value highly.
My Prediction: They finally do it. Green Bay finally pulls the trigger and adds a first round receiver, and we never have to have that discussion again.
