The Green Bay Packers enter the 2026 offseason with plenty of difficult decisions looming on the horizon. The team is getting expensive, cap space is short, and numerous key players are heading to unrestricted free agency. The unfriendly combination of factors leads me to believe that securing compensatory draft picks, or comp picks, will be a key focus of this offseason. Stick with me while I go through what that means, why it’s important, and how the Packers can build a championship caliber team with this in mind. 

What is a compensatory or comp pick? 

Comp picks began in 1994 as part of a relatively genius strategy the NFL employed to ensure parity in the league. These draft picks promote parity and level the competition by rewarding extra draft capital to teams who lose key players in free agency. The whole idea is that if you lose more players in free agency than you brought in, then the NFL will reward you with comp pick(s) to ease your losses. 

Comp picks are rewarded to teams at the end of the 3rd-7th rounds of the draft. Only 32 of them are awarded in total, and no team can receive more than 4 of them in any given year. 

Also, more highly compensated players lost to other teams result in more premium draft capital. For example, the Minnesota Vikings will receive a compensatory 3rd round draft pick in exchange for losing Sam Darnold, who signed a 36 million dollar/year contract with the Seattle Seahawks last summer. On the other hand, the Green Bay Packers will only receive a 7th round pick for losing Josh Myers. Josh signed a 3 million dollar contract with the New York Jets last year. 

Lose more, get more. Lose less, get less. 

Hopefully this all makes sense so far, but I want to go over one more key aspect of comp picks and how they are awarded to teams. This is the most often misunderstood aspect, and it relates to how teams lose these picks. 

This team-building concept is especially important for Packers fans to learn before this offseason. Why do you ask? Well here is the list of players that are currently set to hit unrestricted free agency: (I attached my best guess at what level of 2027 draft compensation each player might be worth) 

Malik Willis – 3rd/4th round 

Rasheed Walker – 3rd/4th round 

Romeo Doubs – 4th/5th round 

Quay Walker – 5th/6th round 

Sean Rhyan – 6th/7th round 

Kingsley Enagbare – 6th/7th round 

While the Packers would max out at 4 comp picks, that is still quite the motherload. Especially for a team that lacks its own 1st and 6th round picks in 2027. These potential comp picks are of extreme importance to the future of the Green Bay Packers. So, how can the Packers go about building a championship team without jeopardizing these picks? 

Here’s the situation:  

When a team signs a new free agent in the offseason, that new addition cancels out any player they may have lost in that same year. A good example was the Green Bay Packers situation in 2024. That year the Packers lost both Darnell Savage and Jon Runyan Jr. in free agency. But they did not receive any compensatory selections. This was due to the signings of Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs. 

This is an often overlooked downside of building through free agency. Signing new players effectively eliminates chances of being rewarded with future comp picks.

However, there is a slight loophole to this rule, and it’s the main thing I want to highlight today. That loophole is that players who were cut by their previous teams, often for contractual reasons, do not factor into these comp pick formulas. So, this means that the Green Bay Packers could sign as many “cap casualty” players as they would like, and it wouldn’t negate their comp picks. 

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Packers spam the living daylights out of this loophole in 2026. 

We all know that there are serious holes that need filling on this roster. With limited draft capital they will likely be forced into free agency in some way, shape or form. Shopping among these cap casualties will provide them a way to do that without spoiling their precious comp picks. 

So, all of this begs the question. Which players will actually be available to be signed after getting cut? 

Well, thankfully the wonderful folks over at OverTheCap just published their annual list of 100 players most likely to be cut for cap reasons. This list is not guaranteed to be accurate, but it usually is a pretty good starting space. Let’s go through it, and comb out players the Packers could target at positions of need. 

2026 Top 100 Possible Cut Candidates

Backup QB 

  1. Jameis Winston: Winston’s career arc has reached a solid backup and nothing more stage. That being said, Jameis could still win you some games in relief, and he only costed 4 million last year. We do also know that Jameis would give the Packers social team an unlimited bevy of short and long form content which has got to be good for something! 
  3. Andy Dalton: Much of the same analysis from above. Dalton would likely come at a similar price as Winston. Although Dalton is 7 years older, and is a name to watch for potential retirement. 

Backup RB

  1. Aaron Jones – MIN: I write this with the same nostalgic part of my brain that badly wants to see Khris Middleton return to the Bucks on the buyout market. But in all honesty, Jones would actually be a sick change of pace back to Josh Jacobs. Especially if the team doesn’t trust Marshawn Lloyd to stay healthy.
  3. Devin Singletary – NYG: A jitterbug type back that has been an effective career backup. Would be nice Marshawn Lloyd insurance in case he can’t stay healthy again this season. 

Offensive Line 

  1. Ryan Kelly – MIN: Kelly struggled this season after the Vikings gave him a sizable contract last offseason. Other than play, the big thing to keep in mind with Kelly is his concussion history. Kelly missed multiple games with concussions this season. It has been reported he may consider early retirement. 
  3. Tyler Biadasz – WAS: The Amherst, WI native would be a fan favorite almost immediately if the Packers were able to bring him in. The Green Bay Packers will surely be in the market for a center, especially if Sean Rhyan doesn’t return, and Biadasz could be a great addition. 
  5. Mekhi Becton – LAC: The Chargers gave Becton a large payday to come in and play right guard for them. It has not worked out. Granted, everything on the Chargers offensive line didn’t really work out this year. Becton was the player that I compared Anthony Belton to coming out of college. So, if the Packers really fell in love with Belton’s player type this season, then they could go out and grab his clone by signing Becton. 
  7. Graham Glasgow – DET: Especially to Packers fans, Glasgow is a pretty recognizable name. But he hasn’t performed like an above average NFL starter for a few years now. Glasgow ranked 33rd out of 40 Centers in overall grade on PFF this year. 

Defensive Line

  1. Davon Godchaux – NO: Godchaux is a big man coming in at roughly 330lbs. I’ve always felt he’s offered more pass rush juice than you’d expect from a guy that size, but he doesn’t defend the run quite as well as you’d expect. Nonetheless, he would be a size upgrade over guys like Colby Wooden or Karl Brooks. 
  3. Dalvin Tomlinson – ARI: This is a player I’ve badly wanted the Packers to target in past free agencies. Now that his price tag has dropped, the Packers may finally be in position to strike. At 32 years old, Tomlinson turned in one of his worst seasons. But Tomlinson is not far removed from being a perennial well above average run defending 1 technique defensive tackle. 
  5. TJ Slaton – CIN: Anybody up for a reunion with a familiar face? In retrospect, losing both of the 2024 starting DT’s, Slaton and Kenny Clark, was a tough blow for the 2025 defense. There was a severe lack of beef on the interior of the D-line. The Packers have already seen how stout Slaton can be against the run. That could be reason enough to bring him back into town.  
  7. Grover Stewart – IND: Stewart has made a career out of being an elite run defending defensive tackle. At 33 years old, any contract would have to be a short one, but this is the exact type of signing that would move the needle for the Packers defense. 
  9. Maliek Collins – CLE: This one might be a little pie in the sky, but you never know. Collins is coming off an incredible year where he recorded 8 sacks and had the 3rd highest pass rush grade of any interior defensive lineman. He is due 10 million dollars in cash in 2026, but is also turning 31. Interested to see where his price ends up. 
  11. Deforest Buckner – IND: Due 23 million in cash this year, but Buckner may still be worth it. Even at 31 years old, Buckner continues to play like one of the best pass rushing DT’s in the league. One of the coolest players in the league. 
  13. Harrison Phillips – NYJ: Green Bay Packers fans may recognize this name from his time with the Vikings. Phillips is the prototypical early down run stopper. He doesn’t add much in the passing game, but he’s the type of meat and potatoes player the team could use. 
  15. Daron Payne – WAS: Payne is owed 22 million in cash this year. While he likely won’t get that, and he hasn’t been quite as dominant over the last few years, I still wouldn’t be surprised to see Payne demand a rather high price tag. 

Linebacker

  1. Christian Eliss – NE: He is currently due roughly 7 million in cash next season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Patriots just paid that. He has been a consistently solid player. If the Patriots cut him, then I’d love to see the Packers pounce. If Quay Walker leaves, the Packers will need all the LB help they can get. 
  3. Patrick Queen – PIT: A relatively big name that the Packers were rumored to be interested in last time he was a free agent. Since signing in Pittsburgh, Queen has had his ups and downs, but this past season was lowlighted by pretty abysmal play in coverage. In 2025, Queen allowed a passer rating of 115 and missed 31 tackles. I’d pass on this one. 
  5. Blake Cashman – MIN: While 2025 wasn’t quite as solid as 2024 was for Cashman, he was still a great player for the Vikings. Cashman is an all around linebacker who always seems to be in the right place. A player to keep in mind for sure. 

Cornerback

  1. L’Jarius Sneed – TEN: I’m old enough to remember when Sneed was viewed as the big fish of the free agent market just a few years ago. The Titans ended up trading for his rights and paying him a near market rate deal. Sneed is due 16 million in cash this season, but would likely go for much less than that on the open market. Poor play and nagging injuries have dampened his value, and opens a potential buy low on a previously great player opportunity. 
  3. Kristian Fulton – KC: The 27 year old corner played barely more than 200 snaps last year due to injuries. Fulton allowed only a 78 passer rating when targeted in 2025, albeit a small sample size. Injuries may have lessened his value, but he is still a very good player when healthy. 
  5. Marshon Lattimore – WAS: There was at least reported interest in Lattimore, the former Saints star, from Green Bay at the trade deadline last year. Thankfully, Gutekunst and co. made the correct decision by passing on him. The Commanders sent a package of 3 draft picks to acquire him, and Lattimore never lived up to that billing. Lattimore allowed a passer rating of 89 when targeted and had 1 interception in 2025. 
  7. Denzel Ward – CLE: Another big name that has fallen off a bit, but is still a useful player. Ward is due 20 million in cash this season which the Browns will likely avoid by cutting him. Depending on cost, I could see the Packers having interest in Ward. 

Kicker

  1. Jason Myers – SEA: My expert analysis is that he seems to be much better than Brandon McManus. 
  3. Jason Sanders – MIA: Pretty sure it’s a safe bet that he is also better than Brandon McManus. 

As I said earlier, this isn’t a perfect or even near comprehensive list. But it is a good place to start when we consider what the Green Bay Packers offseason may look like. Don’t expect too much heavy spending from the team this offseason, but don’t be surprised if they dip their toes into these waters. 

Long story short, I do feel confident the Packers can add some winning players from these channels. They don’t have near the money to spend that they did last season, but money to spend doesn’t always guarantee success. Us fans have this fresh in their minds after the colossal whiffs of last season’s open market period. Expect the Green Bay Packers to operate with comp picks in mind. But, even with that, don’t be surprised when they’re still able to add real high quality talent to this roster.