Green Bay Packers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

The Giants took a risk by letting Xavier McKinney hit free agency, and the safety ended up bolting for a lucrative deal from the Packers. Before he committed to joining Green Bay, the Giants had “strong interest” in retaining the defensive back, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

However, the front office was leery of handing McKinney the $17MM average annual value he ultimately earned from the Packers. That $17MM AAV puts McKinney in the top five of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL.

The Giants decided to not place the transition tag on McKinney, a decision that would have cost the team $13.8MM. As Schwartz writes, the Giants decided to not tag the safety in a “show of good faith,” although it ended up biting them when the Packers backed in with the Brink’s truck.

However, McKinney was still willing to honor the Giants’ handshake deal. As Schwartz passes along, the safety “did circle back” with the Giants and provided them an opportunity to match Green Bay’s offer. The Giants ultimately “deemed the price was too high for a safety.” We heard previously that the Giants were not prepared to go higher than the transition tag value, meaning there was like a $3MM AAV gap between the two sides.

While McKinney does not have a Pro Bowl on his resume, he is going into his age-25 season. That separated the Alabama alum from the lot of recently released safeties. Ranking 14th on PFR’s free agents list, McKinney played every snap for the Giants last season. McKinney intercepted three passes, forced a fumble and recorded a career-high 116 tackles in his contract year. He has run into some injury trouble, suffering a foot injury that delayed the start of his career in 2020 and then sustaining injuries in an ATV accident in 2022. These chunks of missed games did not deter the Packers, who made one of the biggest free agency commitments in team history.

Packers To Re-Sign CB Keisean Nixon

March 12th, 2024 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tuesday afternoon is providing developments on the slot cornerback market. Minutes after Kenny Moore‘s Colts deal came to pass, the Packers have an agreement in place to retain their inside cover man.

Keisean Nixon is staying in Green Bay on a three-year deal worth $18MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The cornerback/return man’s contract can max out at $19.2MM.

The Packers came into the 2022 season with a play to move Rasul Douglas to the slot to accommodate Eric Stokes. Nixon emerged midway through that season as a regular, following Stokes’ season-ending injury, and came into last year solidified in the slot role. With Stokes unable to shake off injuries, the Packers will make a commitment to another of Jaire Alexander‘s CB sidekicks.

Nixon gives the Packers an interesting weapon, as he plays regularly on defense and resides as one of the NFL’s best return men. The former UDFA has scored back-to-back first-team All-Pro nods for return work. Contributing as a punt returner as well, Nixon led the NFL in kick-return yardage in 2022 and ’23, notching a return TD two seasons ago. While kick-return work is not nearly as prominent as it once was due to NFL rule changes designed to minimize that particular play, Nixon has been the game’s best recently.

The versatile performer’s coverage numbers were better in 2022, but the ex-Raider spent more time on defense last season. The Packers gave Nixon 809 snaps in 2023 — up by nearly 600 from his 2022 cameo. Pro Football Focus ranked him just outside the top 80 among corners. But Green Bay has a dual-threat player locked down through 2026, getting him signed at a reasonable rate months after sending Douglas’ $7MM-per-year deal to Buffalo.

Vikings Interested In RB Aaron Jones; Packers Offered Pay Cut

March 11th, 2024 at 11:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the busiest days involving starting running backs in the position’s history, Monday may feature another move. At least, one appears in play.

The Vikings are interested in longtime Packers RB Aaron Jones, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Matt Schneidman report. This would be an interesting fit, as Minnesota moved on from its 2017 RB draftee — Dalvin Cook — last year. The Vikings also moved on from their Cook replacement option, Alexander Mattison, creating some uncertainty atop the depth chart.

Green Bay attempted to retain Jones, but Schneidman indicates that came with a significant pay-cut offer. The Packers wanted Jones to reduce his salary by at least 50%. Jones passed, but the Packers gave Josh Jacobs the same $12MM-AAV accord they once gave Jones (back in 2021). Jones declined the Packers’ final offer Friday, leading to today’s release.

The Vikings are certainly familiar with Jones, having played against the fifth-round success story a number of times since his 2017 debut. Jones joined Cook as one of this era’s most productive backs, being a better option through the air.

Jones battled through knee and hamstring injuries last season but delivered for the Pack down the stretch. The 29-year-old back ripped off five straight 100-yard rushing games to both secure Green Bay playoff entry and then power the team to the precipice of the NFC title game. Although Packers GM Brian Gutekunst expected Jones to be back for an eighth season in Wisconsin, the pay-cut attempt led to a separation.

Ty Chandler remains on the Vikings’ roster; two seasons are left on the end-of-season starter’s rookie contract. Many teams also filled their RB slots today, with the likes of Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, D’Andre Swift, Tony Pollard, Devin Singletary, Antonio Gibson and Austin Ekeler finding homes. Jones showed in January he remains a high-end talent, but he will turn 30 before next season ends. His next contract, despite what Jacobs and Barkley fetched today, will not approach the four-year, $48MM Packers pact he once signed.

But it would still obviously be interesting if the longtime Packer starter landed in Minnesota and enjoyed the opportunity to face his former team twice in 2024.

Packers, S Xavier McKinney Agree To Deal

March 11th, 2024 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

A number of teams released veteran safeties in recent days, creating a sense the position was in for a value dip. Xavier McKinney‘s market would run counter to that notion, as it took a top-five safety contract to win this sweepstakes.

The Packers will come through with the victory here, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting the team is signing McKinney to a four-year, $68MM contract. This surpasses what the Falcons gave Jessie Bates last year and checks in behind only Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick at the position in terms of AAV.

Helping to bring the former second-round pick to Wisconsin: McKinney will receive $25MM in the first year of this deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Giants were not prepared to go higher than the transition tag value, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. The Packers, conversely, reached the AAV level near the franchise tag number for safeties.

The Giants considered transition-tagging McKinney; that would have cost the team $13.8MM. The Patriots went there to keep Kyle Dugger off the market, but the Giants were leery of losing McKinney in a scenario in which they did not receive a compensatory pick back. Instead, the Giants are saying goodbye to both McKinney and Saquon Barkley, who has committed to the Eagles.

While McKinney does not have a Pro Bowl on his resume, he is going into his age-25 season. That separated the Alabama alum from the lot of recently released safeties. Ranking 14th on PFR’s free agents list, McKinney played every snap for the Giants last season. McKinney intercepted three passes, forced a fumble and recorded a career-high 116 tackles in his contract year. He has run into some injury trouble, suffering a foot injury that delayed the start of his career in 2020 and then sustaining injuries in an ATV accident in 2022. These chunks of missed games did not deter the Packers, who are making one of the biggest free agency commitments in team history.

Green Bay let Darnell Savage walk in free agency; the ex-first-rounder joined the Jaguars. This left safety as the only place on the Packers’ defense without a former first-round pick in place. McKinney is close, being drafted 36th overall in 2020. The Giants will have some work to do here, having lost McKinney and Julian Love in consecutive offseasons. The Packers will add a potential impact player on their defensive back line.

Packers To Release RB Aaron Jones

March 11th, 2024 at 2:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

In a move which comes as no surprise given Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs deal, Aaron Jones is on the way out. The latter has been informed by the Packers he will be released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The move has now officially taken place, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. As such, Jones is free to sign at any time.

The Packers and Jones were able to work out a pay-cut agreement last year, but the sides could not come to terms after recent negotiations. Green Bay may well have wanted Jones to take another cut, having attempted to bring down his cap number recently. Failing to reach a resolution will help bring Josh Jacobs to Wisconsin and send Jones to a market that has seen big movement today. This will not be a post-June 1 cut, per OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald.

Jones accepted a $5MM trim in exchange for 2023 guarantees; that reworking inflated his 2024 cap number to $17.6MM. The Packers did not want to go into free agency with that number on their payroll, so they will sever one of the longest-tenured RB partnerships in franchise history. Jones rewarded the Pack on his four-year, $48MM deal from 2021, and although last season featured multiple injuries, the former fifth-round pick zoomed to five straight 100-yard games to close out the season. That certainly played a major role in the Packers reaching the divisional round, where they pushed the eventual NFC champion 49ers to the brink.

Excelling in the passing game and on the ground, Jones has been one of the NFL’s best backs over the past several seasons. He does join a host of big-name RBs in being released or seeing their pay reduced in recent years. Jones will follow Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook in being cut from an eight-figure-AAV contract over the past year. Other backs — Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Antonio Gibson, Devin Singletary and D’Andre Swift — have found homes already, thinning out the market. But Jones still should have a chance to start somewhere due to his talent.

Jones, 29, made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and totaled 1,500-plus scrimmage yards in 2019 and ’23. He helped a Packers team featuring next to no skill-position experience last season. Jacobs will provide that, but that move comes after GM Brian Gutekunst said he expected Jones to be back in 2024. The team is not expected to re-sign AJ Dillon, leading to a new era in the Green Bay backfield.

Packers Expected To Sign RB Josh Jacobs

March 11th, 2024 at 1:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

A Josh Jacobs-Raiders reunion will not take place. The former rushing champion is expected to join the Packers, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The four-year deal is worth $48MM, the pair report in a follow-up.

Vegas had an offer on the table as of earlier today, proving the team’s intention of working out a multi-year deal. The threat of free agent departure has existed since last offseason, of course, when Jacobs received the franchise tag and talks on a new deal did not produce an agreement.

Vegas ultimately ended Jacobs’ training camp holdout by agreeing to a revised one-year deal which upped the value of the tag slightly. Coming off his best season, expectations were high in 2023 for the former first-rounder. However, he produced a career low in rushing yards (805) and yards per carry (3.5).

In spite of that, Jacobs represented one of the top backs on the market. The 26-year-old sat in the middle of the pack in terms of age amongst high-profile options who were available, many have whom have quickly landed deals. Terms of the Jacobs deal are roughly in line with many other notable RB deals given out today given the nature of the 2024 market, but to little surprise he has topped the list in terms of length and total value. The Alabama product will immediately take on an every-down role in Green Bay.

For a brief period on Monday, it appeared the Packers would have both Jacobs and incumbent starter Aaron Jones in the fold. However, the latter has been released after attempts to work out a pay cut fell through. With AJ Dillon set to depart in free agency, plenty of backfield carries and targets will be heading Jacobs’ way in 2024. Green Bay enjoyed success on the ground late in the season and into the playoffs, and continuing that production will be a key priority.

Doing so will take on a different dynamic with Jacobs (and not Jones) leading the way, not to mention the O-line departures which the Packers have seen. In any case, Green Bay’s offense will be built in large part on the ground game during Jordan Love‘s second year as a starter.

Packers To Release LT David Bakhtiari

March 11th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Sam Robinson

For some time now, David Bakhtiari has been expected to be released by the Packers. The All-Pro left tackle confirmed that is the route being taken by Green Bay in a social media post on Monday.

This move has been expected for a while, as Bakhtiari’s body has betrayed him over the course of the monster contract he signed during the 2020 season. A New Year’s Eve knee injury sustained in practice that year re-routed the All-Pro’s career, and after more knee trouble came in 2023, the Packers are rebooting at left tackle.

The Packers will save just more than $20MM by cutting Bakhtiari, who was due to count more than $40MM on Green Bay’s 2024 cap. Although no void years are present in this contract, past restructures ballooned that 2024 total. Bakhtiari was set to make $20.2MM in 2024 base salary. A post-June 1 move would increase the cap savings here, dividing the $19.1MM in dead money over two offseasons. The Packers, however, took their medicine on Aaron Rodgers in one year. They may well do the same with his longtime blindside protector.

Since that seminal knee injury, Bakhtiari has missed 39 regular-season games and five playoff contests. He spent most of the 2021 season out of action, only returning for a handful of snaps in Week 18. Work in that meaningless contest led to Bakhtiari sitting in the Packers’ divisional-round follow-up, a loss to the 49ers. Bakhtiari returned to a high performance level in 2022, playing 11 games, but was only able to suit up for one last season.

A five-time All-Pro (two first teams), Bakhtiari thrived after being a third-round Packers pick back in 2013. He was in uniform for three NFC championship games. His absence against the Buccaneers in 2020 became glaring, as Tampa Bay’s edge rushers teed off on Rodgers in the second half that day. Bakhtiari still did well to collect a four-year, $92MM extension weeks before his knee injury in 2020. The Packers, unfortunately, did not get much from that investment.

Green Bay primarily used Rasheed Walker in Bakhtiari’s place last season, keeping former sub Elgton Jenkins entrenched at guard. Pro Football Focus ranked Walker 44th among tackles last season. The former seventh-round pick could certainly be an option, but it would also make sense for the team to make a bigger investment — perhaps in a tackle-rich draft — to succeed Bakhtiari, who would be going into his age-33 season. Despite five knee surgeries, the decorated left tackle had not indicated he was preparing a retirement. The Jets could be in play for Bakhtiari, but it would be with the understanding he would compete for the LT role rather than being handed the gig.

Free Agency Notes: Queen, Seahawks, Packers, Panthers, Pats, Jackson, Bengals

March 10th, 2024 at 10:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens’ Roquan Smith payment always made it likely Patrick Queen would need to collect his money elsewhere. Now that Queen’s most recent defensive coordinator landed a coaching job, a logical fit has emerged. Indeed, many executives predicted (via the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora) Queen would wind up reunited with Mike Macdonald in Seattle. With the Seahawks likely to again part ways with Bobby Wagner, spots are open. Jordyn Brooks, who joined Queen as a 2020 first-round LB pick, is also on the cusp of free agency. Queen is coming off his best season — a Pro Bowl showing alongside Smith — and turned a corner once the Bears trade commenced last year.

Checking in eighth on PFR’s top 50 free agents list (before the Chris Jones and Baker Mayfield deals), Queen could be in line to rival what Tremaine Edmunds received ($18MM per year, $41.8MM fully guaranteed) last year and land a top-five ILB contract. Barely 12 hours from the legal tampering period, here is the latest from the free agent scene:

Not known for splashy signings, the Packers do look like they are ready to upgrade at one position on the market. Green Bay appears likely to look at the top safeties available, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Although several veteran safeties became street free agents due to recent cuts (Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and Jordan Poyer among them), this saturated market does include two young guns that should be paid well soon. It would not shock to see the Pack pursue Xavier McKinney and Kamren Curl, Fowler adds. Both safeties are going into their age-25 seasons, which could separate them on a crowded market.
The Panthers released Bradley Bozeman today, and while they will look for a center, expect a guard pursuit as well. This year’s market is big on guards, and The Athletic’s Joe Person writes the Panthers want to upgrade at a guard spot this offseason. Carolina lost both its starting guards — Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett — to major injuries last season, representing one of the many issues on offense in Bryce Young‘s rookie year. The team does not consider Ikem Ekwonu an option. Despite the 2022 first-rounder playing guard at points in college, ESPN.com’s David Newton indicates the new coaching staff is keeping him at left tackle.
The Patriots are open to bringing back J.C. Jackson, according to Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline. Jackson’s season ended early after the team placed the veteran cornerback on the reserve/NFI list. Should Jackson move past the mental health struggles that wrapped his first season back in New England, Pauline adds the team is open to another reunion despite last week’s release.
Seeing a revolving door form at right tackle (Bobby Hart, Riley Reiff, La’el Collins, Jonah Williams) over the past four years, the Bengals want that to stop. They may be ready to take a two-pronged approach by adding a veteran and a potential rookie heir apparent. “We would like to have somebody man the right tackle spot for a number of years, yes,” player personnel director Duke Tobin said (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.). “We’d like it to be a young guy that can come in and do that or a veteran that might have the opportunity to rebuild his career, something. But yes, we would like that to be manned on multiple fronts. But we’re focused with having it manned well enough to provide us a chance to win next year. That’s the No. 1 thing.” Williams is a free agent, and given the market he might have — as a chance to move to left tackle may await — it is unlikely the 2019 first-round pick is back in Cincinnati.

Packers To Release LB De’Vondre Campbell

March 10th, 2024 at 4:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Once free agency officially begins, De’Vondre Campbell will see his Packers tenure come to an end. The veteran linebacker will be released on the first day of the new league year, Tom Sliverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

By waiting until the start of the league year, Green Bay will be able to designate Campbell a post-June 1 release. That route will yield just over $10.5MM in savings, a far higher figure than if he were to be let go now. However, the Packers will not see that added cap space until June 2. Moving on from Campbell will produce a dead money charge of $3.66MM.

The 30-year-old had a late breakout during his debut campaign with the Packers. Playing on a one-year deal in 2021, he posted 146 tackles, two interceptions and a pair of sacks en route to receiving first-team All-Pro honors. Campbell was rewarded with a five-year, $50MM deal in 2022. Expectations went through the roof as a result, but the former fourth-rounder saw a downturn in production over the past two seasons. Still, his release will create the need for a new starter at the LB spot this offseason.

Campbell played through a shoulder injury in 2022, and he was limited to 11 games last year. Green Bay will be looking for more stability on the health front with an outside addition or the retention of an in-house replacement candidate. Silverstein notes special teamer Eric Wilson is on the Packers’ list of players the team would like to re-sign. Wilson last saw a heavy defensive workload in 2020 with the Vikings, though, so he will likely retain his third phase responsibilities while Green Bay re-shapes its starting defense under new DC Jeff Haffley.

Kristian Welch (a fellow special teams ace) is a pending free agent like Wilson. As a result, the only sure thing at the LB spot for the time being is 2022 first-rounder Quay Walker. The Georgia alum has started all but one of his games in Green Bay to date, posting at least 118 tackles each season. He will be counted on heavily moving forward, but it will be interesting to see who he will be paired with in 2024. The Packers presently have $13.6MM in cap space, a figure which will grow well after the first few waves of free agency have taken place via Campbell’s release. It will be interesting to see how much of a market develops for him once he becomes available.

Green Bay Packers News & Rumors