Since the start of unrestricted free agency exactly three weeks ago, 10 members of the 2022 Packers have agreed to contracts. Six will be returning to Green Bay (cornerbacks Corey Ballentine and Keisean Nixon, tight end Tyler Davis, safety Rudy Ford, outside linebacker Justin Hollins and inside linebacker Eric Wilson), and four will have brand new homes next season (defensive ends Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed, wide receiver Allen Lazard, and tight end Robert Tonyan).
Five players who finished last season on Green Bay’s 53-man roster remain unsigned. The following is an update on their status:
🏈ADRIAN AMOS
Amos picked the wrong year to hit the open market. Not only is he turning 30 in a few weeks and coming off a subpar season, but teams just aren’t paying safeties this spring. Even an ascending player like Julian Love of the Giants had to settle for a relatively modest contract ($6 million per). Amos visited the Ravens recently but exited without a deal. He will probably have to settle for the kind of money Reed received from the Packers last year ($3.25M). That worked out pretty well for the veteran defensive lineman, who parlayed a solid season into a two-year contract with the Seahawks worth at least $9M. Would the Packers bring back Amos at the right price? Never say never, but that seems extremely unlikely.
🏈RANDALL COBB
While the Packers need a slot receiver, it won’t be Cobb. He’s 33 and injury-prone, and the only reason he returned to Green Bay in 2021 is that Aaron Rodgers demanded it. Making the four-time MVP quarterback happy will become Jets GM Joe Douglas’ cross to bear in the next few weeks (or months). It will be a surprise if Cobb doesn’t eventually rejoin Rodgers in New York, especially with last season’s No. 1 slot receiver Elijah Moore no longer on the roster. The Jets did sign ex-Chief Mecole Hardman a few weeks ago, but he’s proven to be even less durable than Cobb in recent seasons. As far as money is concerned, the former Kentucky star is likely looking at a one-year contract worth no more than $2.5M.
🏈MASON CROSBY
While the 38-year-old Crosby wants to kick at least another season for the Packers, it would be a surprise if the feeling is mutual. GM Brian Gutekunst and cap guru Russ Ball might’ve found a way to retain the franchise’s all-time leading scorer if Rodgers was still the quarterback and winning the Super Bowl was still the ultimate goal, but neither will be the case in 2023. Developing new starting quarterback Jordan Love and other young players will be the top priorities, so next season is the perfect time to break in a new kicker. Following a legendary Packer like Crosby would never be easy, but it won’t be nearly as daunting a task in a season that figures to end after Week 18 and not sometime in late January.
🏈DALLIN LEAVITT
Leavitt was far and away the Packers’ most accomplished special teams player when he followed Rich Bisaccia from Las Vegas to Green Bay last July, but less than nine months later, there may no longer be room for the scrappy 28-year-old. The former Utah State standout’s not talented enough to earn snaps on defense, even though there’s currently a huge need at safety, and Davis, Ford, Ballentine, Wilson, Josiah Deguara, Isaiah McDuffie, Jonathan Garvin, and a few others outplayed him on the coverage units in 2022. Leavitt, who was Love’s teammate in college for a couple of seasons, will almost certainly get an opportunity to compete for a spot on a 53-man roster this summer, but it might not be in Green Bay.
🏈MARCEDES LEWIS
Despite turning 39 in May and running like he’s in quicksand rather than on grass, Lewis might actually have a better chance of returning to Green Bay than Amos, Cobb, Crosby, and Leavitt. That’s because head coach Matt LaFleur really respects Lewis, and the current roster is dangerously thin at the position he plays. Still, don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen. For one thing, Gutekunst is almost certain to add a tight end or two in this month’s draft. For another, Lewis would probably prefer to play for a franchise with a realistic chance at getting to the next Super Bowl. That could mean rejoining Rodgers in New York, although the Jets are deep and talented at tight end, or hooking up with another contender.
The final results of last week’s poll were incredibly close. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll.
I have nothing against Rodgers, but I won’t root for him if the Packers own a pick from the Jets in 2024. I think I’d root for him if the Jets make the playoffs.
I know he’s getting older and didn’t play very well last season, but I’m still surprised Amos hasn’t signed with somebody. A team without Joe Barry as its defensive coordinator might get a good season or two out of him.
Similarly, I’m wondering why it’s “highly unlikely” that they re-sign Amos? The guy is solid-yet-unspectacular, knows the defense and could be a quality mentor for a young draft pick. I realize that they’re very very tight on cap space, but bringing him back seems to give them some flexibility come draft time if they’re not able to get a safety in the first two rounds. If they don’t bring him back I think the safety position is in serious trouble next year – especially given that Brian Branch, by far the best safety prospect, doesn’t fit Gutey’s tastes.
Wouldn’t mind having Big Dog back at all just to have a veteran leader in the building and because he is still a productive blocker and the Packers will certainly lean on the run game more early on with Love.
And then there were four. Dallin Leavitt re-signed on Tuesday.