Green Bay Packers News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/24

Today’s mid-week minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived (with injury designation): WR Jaaron Hayek

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Released (with injury settlement): CB Tyler Hall

Washington Commanders

Interesting move up in Green Bay, where the Packers are essentially swapping out which player will qualify as the 17th member of their practice squad through the International Player Pathway program. They’ll waive the Nigerian, Odumegwu, who joined through the league’s IPP program last year, and assign the international exemption to the Australian kicker, Hale.

It’s unfortunate news for Keene, who doubled in his offensive duties as fullback at times for the Texans. Keene reportedly tore his ACL in Houston’s second preseason game last weekend, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. His placement on injured reserve today will end his 2024 season.

Offseason In Review: Green Bay Packers

Continuing to zag when it comes to quarterback development and roster construction, the Packers centered their offseason around a Jordan Love commitment. After seeing a promising second half from their Aaron Rodgers successor nearly produce a voyage to the NFC championship game, the Pack are back in the franchise-QB payment business.

Love’s monster extension complements an offense that lost two of its veteran pillars — in Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari — as the team continues to build around lofty investments on the defensive side. But the Packers’ Love decision, which is certainly a different route when it comes to an experience-to-dollars ratio, will define the franchise for the foreseeable future.

Extensions and restructures:

When Rodgers agreed to his first extension during his 2008 starter debut season — a six-year, $63.52MM deal, illustrating where QB contracts have gone — it did not check in as a record-setting payday. It was not particularly close, either. Carson Palmer‘s Bengals extension outflanked Rodgers’ first Packers deal. So did Peyton Manning‘s 2004 Colts payday, along with Tom Brady‘s first Patriots re-up and Ben Roethlisberger‘s initial Steelers extension. That gave the Packers a runway to better learn about Rodgers’ capabilities. The organization was certainly proven right and suddenly had a bargain deal at quarterback until the 2013 offseason.

Today’s skyrocketing QB market changed the equation for Love and the team, which needed to match an NFL-record AAV for a player with 18 regular-season starts. This era of one-upping differs from how a few teams handled QB contracts even following Rodgers’ 2013 extension. No one topped the Packer QB’s $22MM-per-year deal until the 2016 offseason. A host of deals in 2015 (for Roethlisberger, Wilson, Cam Newton, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers) settled between $20MM and $21.9MM per year, acknowledging Rodgers’ place in the game. For the most part, these sort of acknowledgments no longer exist.

Love’s deal not coming with a discount keeps the Packers in the high-cost QB business, as 2023 — which featured near-record-tying (pre-Russell Wilson, at least) dead money from the Rodgers trade — did not bring a reprieve. Diving right back into a top-market contract, as Rodgers’ deal came off the books this year, ramps up the pressure for Brian Gutekunst and Co. to be right on the player they traded up for in 2020.

Both parties wanted this deal done by training camp, and Love held in to complete the process. The Packers agreeing to a half-measure extension, rather than pick up a fully guaranteed fifth-year option on a player who entered 2023 with one career start, provided Love leverage. The QB capitalized, joining Tua Tagovailoa in this regard, on his contract-year status. The Packers would have faced a $40MM-plus 2025 cap hold had Love played out this season and brought the threat of a franchise tag. Whereas teams have held more control during this process by extending a first-round quarterback after his third season, Green Bay’s outlier three-year apprenticeship program did not give the team that option. After a promising close to last season, Love was able to exert more control in this process.

Struggling during much of the season’s first half, Love led the NFL in QBR from Weeks 11-18 — a stretch that included 18 TD passes and one INT. The four-year veteran was then tremendous in the Packers’ wild-card upset over the Cowboys, before leading the NFC’s first competitive No. 7 seed to a narrow loss over the eventual NFC champion 49ers. Love obviously made for an atypical extension candidate, but the Packers are all in.

Contract structure was believed to be the final issue for Love’s camp. A team that does not do post-Year 1 guarantees beyond signing bonuses again bent for a quarterback, and Love secured the increasingly popular rolling guarantee structure on this deal.

Love’s 2025 salary is guaranteed at signing, and his 2026 base salary is partially guaranteed already. That 2026 figure will become fully guaranteed in 2025. That structure pertains to Love’s 2027 base salary as well. The team guaranteed $20MM of the QB’s ’27 base ($41.9MM) for injury at signing; that $20MM shifts to a full guarantee a year early. Love did remarkably well on this contract and will be positioned, should his late-season form be indicative of his career trajectory, to cash in again before age 30.

The Packers took care of Clark before his contract year, bringing up an extension earlier this offseason and completing the agreement before training camp. Despite coming into the league in 2016, Clark will not turn 29 until October. The Pack should have more prime years coming from the former first-round pick — one of six first-rounders still on Green Bay’s defense — and they completed a deal without going into the top 10 on a swiftly rising D-tackle market. Clark’s $21.33MM AAV both marked a notable raise and the 11th-highest-paid DT accord.

Keeping with the Pack’s non-QB standard, the only guaranteed money in Clark’s deal comes from his signing bonus. But the eighth-year DT is owed a $7.5MM roster bonus next March. That ups the practical guarantee to $25MM. It would cost the Packers $17MM in dead money to move on from Clark in 2026, due to signing bonus proration. This gives the veteran a good chance of staying on this through-2027 deal for at least three seasons. Clark is due an $11MM roster bonus in 2026.

The UCLA alum ranks seventh in starts (109) by a Packer D-lineman. He can move into first all time on this contract; Dave Hanner (1953-64) holds that mark at 141.

Free agency additions:

Although Hard Knocks primarily focused on the Giants’ Saquon Barkley loss, it also revealed surprise on Giants GM Joe Schoen‘s part upon learning McKinney’s contract.After factoring in a McKinney extension upon letting Julian Love walk in 2023, the Giants did not keep him off the market for the transition tag sum ($13.8MM). That may have been a mistake. The former second-round pick proceeded to score a top-four safety contract, with the Packers paying up to address an issue.

Green Bay moved on from its top three safeties last year (Darnell Savage. Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford) and paid McKinney, who submitted two quality Giants seasons and two injury-plagued years. After a McKinney ATV accident led to him missing much of the 2022 campaign, Pro Football Focus graded him as the No. 4 overall safety last season. McKinney, 26, represents an out-of-character move from the Packers, who are not known for paying safeties or signing off on — even in the Gutekunst era — top-market free agency accords.

McKinney played the Jessie Bates role on this year’s market. As another macro safety evaluation appeared to take place this year — leading to the releases of several prominent veterans and a slew of mid-market payments for unrestricted free agents — McKinney’s price came in nearly $8MM higher (in terms of AAV) than any other UFA safety. After Bates (four years, $64MM) rewarded the Falcons for their high-cost addition, the Packers won a bidding war for McKinney, who has also shown quality ball skills in his career. The Alabama alum intercepted five passes in 2021 and three last season. Referring to himself as the game’s best safety, McKinney will attempt to prove it in Wisconsin.

Perhaps the most notable participant on a historically busy day at the running back position, the Packers said goodbye to a seven-year regular (Aaron Jones) and brought in Jacobs. The five-year Raiders starter is three years younger than Jones, and while the former has not proven as dynamic, the incumbent approaching his 30th birthday undoubtedly played into Green Bay’s thinking here. Jacobs, 26, won the 2022 rushing title but is coming off a far less productive year on the franchise tag. The Packers will bet on more prime years remaining for Jacobs, who was part of last year’s famous RB macro evaluation.

The Raiders, Giants and Cowboys respectively not extending their tagged running backs — after the Packers had given Jones a pay cut and the Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott) and Vikings (Dalvin Cook) had released longtime starters — prompted a Zoom meeting among key backs about their state of the union. Jacobs, who rampaged for an NFL-high 2,053 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns in 2022, accumulated only 1,101 last season — before missing four games due to multiple contusions. After producing the fifth-most rushing yards over expected in 2022 (158), Jacobs finished with the fifth-worst number (minus-86) last year.

Matt LaFleur admitted he was caught off-guard by how the Packers’ running back situation shook out, and Jacobs also indicated he turned down more money elsewhere. More pass-game opportunities should be expected to emerge for Jacobs, who did catch 107 combined passes from 2021-22.

Green Bay’s Jones-to-Jacobs transition is also interesting due to the younger back having more career touches (1,502) compared to Jones (1,449). Jacobs has missed 10 career games; since 2019, Jones has also missed 10. Six of those came last season. While the Packers guaranteed Jacobs just $12.5MM, he is due a $5.93MM signing bonus if on Green Bay’s roster on Day 5 of the 2025 league year.

This profiles as a two-year deal before a year-to-year scenario takes shape in 2026. Even if Jacobs’ 2025 roster bonus is included, he still fetched far less in fully guaranteed money than Barkley, who secured $26MM from the Eagles despite a well-documented injury history and a higher touch total.

Re-signings:

Adding slot cornerback to his duties along with return specialist, Nixon scored a solid veteran deal two years after following Rich Bisaccia from Las Vegas. The Raiders nontendered Nixon as an RFA in 2022, leading to Bisaccia’s new team reaching out. Nixon mostly focused on a return-game role in 2022; he blazed to first-team All-Pro status as a kick returner. Nixon repeated that feat in 2023, and the Packers re-signed him just before the NFL radically revamped its kickoff setup. That change stands to make Nixon more valuable.

Of course, Nixon receiving a $6MM-per-year deal was also contingent on him continuing as the team’s slot corner. The Packers abandoned their Rasul Douglas slot experiment during the 2022 season and went into last year with Nixon in that role. He played 937 defensive snaps — by far a career high — and while PFF graded him outside the top 80 and Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics applied higher numbers in terms of completion percentage (77.8%) and passer rating (104.8), the Packers clearly value the former UDFA in a cornerback group that features little certainty beyond Jaire Alexander.

Dillon did not do nearly as well in free agency. On a crowded RB market, the inside grinder settled for a deal that provided next to no guaranteed money. Jones’ powerful complementary option for four seasons, Dillon averaged a career-worst 3.4 yards per carry last year — his first under 4.1 per tote.

The former second-round pick has been effective in the past, and while he said a bit more money may have been out there for him, the Green Bay aficionado — Dillon plans to camp in the city following his NFL career — entered training camp on the roster bubble.

Notable losses:

As Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul ran wild during the 2020 NFC championship game, Bakhtiari’s absence created one of the bigger what-ifs in offensive line history. The Packers saw an ACL tear sustained during a New Year’s Eve practice change their left tackle course, as Bakhtiari — a first-team All-Pro that season and a five-time All-Pro over his career — has been unable to stay healthy since.

The stalwart LT missed all but 27 snaps in 2021, returning to the sideline after debuting in a meaningless Week 18 game, and — after showing promising form in 11 games back in 2022 — missed almost all of last season. This all pointed to a 2024 separation.

Green Bay had restructured Bakhtiari’s deal in 2021 and ’22, immediately seeing the four-year, $92MM extension — only Rodgers and Love have signed more lucrative deals among Packers — become an issue quickly due to the once-dependable LT signing it weeks before his knee injury. Bakhtiari, who has undergone five knee surgeries since that fateful practice, will count $18.15MM in dead money this year. Like Rodgers’ dead cap hit in 2023, Bakhtiari’s contract will be off the team’s books for good after a year. The 11-year veteran, 33 in September, wants to keep playing but has not caught on anywhere.

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Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/24

Here are today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

  • Reverted to IR: LB Zeke Vandenburgh

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Free Agent

Strong was a surprising release by the Cardinals during the regular season last year. At the time, Strong was coming off of his strongest NFL campaign, but head coach Jonathan Gannon claimed that the release was what was “best for the team.” While we still don’t know the nature of the suspension, or whether or not it’s even related to his January release, we are aware that he will miss three games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/24

Wednesday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: C Cohl Cabral
  • Waived (with injury designation): DE Shaka Toney

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Cabral joins the Cowboys after UFL stints in Birmingham and Michigan. He adds more depth to the team’s offensive line after the team lost Chuma Edoga in their first preseason game and saw Earl Bostick helped off the field today. Toney suffered a groin injury, leading to this injury waiver, but could return to the team should he clear waivers.

Powers-Johnson was on some concerning ground with how much time he had missed with a concussion, but the Raiders saw him return to practice today.

The 49ers are adding some significant depth on the defensive line in Williams, who has vast starting experience in the NFL. Cutting Turner could mean that the return of Dre Greenlaw may on a better timeline than expected.

Packers Prepared To Use Jordan Morgan At Guard; LB Edgerrin Cooper Not Likely To Start

The Packers’ offensive line is starting to take shape, and it looks likely to include the team’s first-round pick at a new position. Jordan Morgan returned to practice after missing time with a shoulder injury, and he is on track to work at guard.

Drafted shortly after the Packers released David Bakhtiari, Morgan became only the second Green Bay first-round pick allocated to offense over the past 12 years. The Arizona product began training at left tackle during the Packers’ offseason program and would seem positioned to be a long-term answer at one of the team’s tackle spots. For now, however, the team wants to see its rookie on the field.

Despite Morgan’s arrival, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman notes Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom are locked in at left and right tackle (subscription required). Tom returned from an offseason pectoral tear recently and has reclaimed his RT post. Morgan may be see sporadic tackle reps for preparation purposes, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein notes the team has been using the No. 25 overall pick at right guard. It is likely Morgan remains there in what looks like a “best five” scenario for a Packers front that also carries Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins at left guard and Josh Myers at center.

Tackle-to-guard moves from college to the pros are certainly not uncommon, and Morgan moving inside would represent yet another transition involving a 2024 first-round tackle. If Duke tackle Graham Barton counts, nine college tackles were chosen in this year’s first round. Of that group, most are changing positions. Joe Alt (Chargers) is sliding from left to right tackle, while JC Latham is moving from right to left tackle with the Titans. The Saints flipped Oregon State RT Taliese Fuaga to the blind side, while the Steelers are readying Washington LT Troy Fautanu for a Week 1 RT role. The Cowboys are shifting Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton from right to left tackle. The Bucs are moving Barton from left tackle to center, though that was widely expected.

Walker and Tom are each under contract through the 2025 season. While two teams (the Cardinals and Steelers) have flipped 2023 first-round tackles (Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones) to left tackle ahead of their second seasons, the Packers could have Morgan at guard for multiple years. Though, it is still early here. Morgan being moved inside opens the door for a swing role, and Andre Dillard — after starting at right tackle in Green Bay’s preseason opener — may be in the lead on Caleb Jones and 2023 UDFA Kadeem Telfort, Schneidman adds.

Elsewhere on the Packers’ depth chart, second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper looks unlikely to start at linebacker in Week 1. Rumored to be a candidate to take over at one of Green Bay’s ILB spots, Cooper has missed multiple weeks due to a hip injury. The Texas A&M product had not yet unseated Eric Wilson or fourth-year cog Isaiah McDuffie when he was practicing, per Schneidman. While Cooper will undoubtedly be given an extended chance to earn a starting role alongside Quay Walker eventually, he may be parked as a backup to open the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/24

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Waived-injured: WR Bryan Thompson

Carolina Panthers

  • Released from IR (with injury settlements): OT J.D. DiRenzo, TE Curtis Hodges

Denver Broncos

  • Re-signed: LB Alec Mock

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LB Chris Russell
  • Released from IR (with injury settlement): CB Don Callis

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: CB Kaleb Ford-Dement
  • Waived: RB Zander Horvath
  • Released from IR (with injury settlement): WR Jermaine Jackson

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Released from IR (with injury settlement): NT Matthew Gotel

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/24

Friday’s minor transactions to close out the week:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

  • Waived (with injury settlement): WR Rory Starkey

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Waived (with injury designation): NT Matthew Gotel

Haynes quick exit after a short stint in Arizona comes after he signed a contract including an injury waiver. He spent time on injured reserve with the Panthers last season, precipitating the presence of the injury waiver in his latest deal. The team utilized the waiver to terminate his contract today.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/8/24

Thursday’s minor moves around the league:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

  • Reverted to IR: CB Don Callis, WR Rory Starkey

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: G Ryan Johnson
  • Placed on IR: G Silas Dzansi

Dixon exited Jacksonville’s Tuesday practice early, and head coach Doug Pederson confirmed on Thursday he has suffered a torn ACL. The former UDFA started his career with the Jaguars, making three appearances as a rookie in 2022. He resided on the team’s practice squad last season, and he could remain in the organization by reverting to IR in the event he goes unclaimed.

Speaks will take Dixon’s place as he aims to translate an effective UFL campaign into a return to NFL action. The 28-year-old earned Defensive Player of the Year honors while playing for the Michigan Panthers. He collected 9.5 sacks in the spring, and that production has landed him the chance to carve out a roster spot with Jacksonville. Speaks last played with the Chiefs in 2018.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/24

Wednesday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Claimed off waivers (from Commanders): TE Armani Rogers
  • Waived: WR Shaq Davis

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

The Packers apparently felt it necessary to add another competitor to their position battle at kicker today, signing Hale out of Oklahoma State. The former walk-on from Australia hit on 43 of his 54 field goal attempts as a Cowboy in Stillwater.

Following the retirement of Tarik Cohen, the Jets opted to sign Jackson. The former Colts rusher had some big moments in 2022 while filling in for an injured Jonathan Taylor. He and Vaughn were both participants in a recent workout with the Texans, but Cam Akers walked away from that day with the job.

Lastly, Owens’, son of NFL legend Terrell Owens, time with one of his father’s former teams has come to an end. His pedigree may have assisted in landing an opportunity as an undrafted free agent in San Francisco, but he was unable to stay rostered throughout camp.

NFC North Notes: O’Connell, Vikings, Adofo-Mensah, Packers, Clark, Jones, Bears, Lions

Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s first year produced a surprising 13-4 record and an NFC North crown. The Vikings took a step back in the power brokers’ second season, with Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear and Justin Jefferson‘s hamstring trouble playing central roles in the team’s 2023 struggles. Though, the Vikings held their own in a rare season that featured four starting QBs. Still, no extensions are being planned for the HC-GM combo just yet.

I think that’s fair. I think right now we’re just focusing on the season and putting those things aside for now,” Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf said (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert) of the prospect of tabling extension talks with O’Connell and/or Adofo-Mensah to 2025. “It’s not something we’re talking about at this point.”

Considering the pair has only been in place since 2022, the Vikings exploring early extensions would have surprised. No coach or GM hired in 2022 has been extended, and only one tandem hired in 2021 (Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes) has been re-upped. O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah signed four-year contracts, which will make 2024’s direction — as the Vikings transition to Sam Darnold and eventually J.J. McCarthypivotal for the leaders’ futures. The Lions gave their bigwigs extensions despite authorizing six-year contracts in 2021, though they have accomplished more thus far.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Velus Jones did not become a regular option at wide receiver for the Bears since the team chose him in the 2022 third round, and the additions of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze this offseason obviously did not help Jones’ prospects. As a result, the Bears are trying the third-year performer at running back. Matt Eberflus (via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley) confirmed the move. Primarily used as a kick returner over his first two seasons, Jones has just 17 receptions as a pro. The Bears’ RB situation is not quite as strong as their WR setup, but the team did add D’Andre Swift to a position group already housing Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert.
  • Kenny Clark‘s three-year, $64MM Packers extension includes $17.5MM guaranteed at signing — all in the form of a signing bonus — and, per OverTheCap, the veteran defensive lineman will receive a $7.5MM roster bonus if on Green Bay’s roster by Day 3 of the 2025 league year. This ups the practical guarantee to $25MM. On Day 3 of the 2026 league year, Clark will be due an $11MM roster bonus. Considering it would cost the Packers $17MM in dead money to cut Clark in 2026, the ninth-year defender has a decent chance to collect the second roster bonus as well. The extension lowered Clark’s 2024 cap hit by just $1.1MM, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.
  • Going into the final season of his rookie contract, Royce Newman accepted what amounts to a pay cut. The Packers dropped the former fourth-round pick’s base salary from $3.12MM to $1.25MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Newman had seen his base salary increase due to the NFL’s proven performance escalator program. Newman has started 24 games along Green Bay’s O-line. The team included up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses for the contract-year blocker.
  • Taylor Decker‘s three-year, $60MM Lions extension includes $31.83MM guaranteed at signing, with the longtime Detroit LT’s 2024 and ’25 base salaries ($1.2MM, $14.8MM) locked in, per OverTheCap. The contract’s remaining guarantees come via a signing bonus. Decker will be due $1.5MM roster bonuses on Day 3 of the 2026 and ’27 league years. His 2026 and ’27 base salaries are nonguaranteed, though two void years included to spread out the former first-rounder’s cap hits. Still, 2026 looms as a potential out here, as the Lions would only take on $9.4MM in dead money in 2026 — as opposed to $31.4MM in 2025 — by moving on.
  • The Vikings will pay Khyree Jackson‘s $827K signing bonus to the deceased cornerback’s estate, Seifert tweets. Jackson died tragically in a car accident in early July. The NFLPA is also expected to support Jackson’s estate.