Devonte Wyatt

Packers Rumors: Alexander, Walker, Wyatt, McManus, Nixon

February 2nd, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Rory Parks

At his season-ending press conference last month, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst left the door open for CB Jaire Alexander to return to the team in 2025.

“[W]e’re at the beginning stages of just kind of gathering information as a whole before we start looking at next year and how we’re going to lay this thing out,” Gutekunst said of Alexander’s status. “But we could (pay him). I mean, obviously, when he’s healthy and he’s ready to play, he’s a pretty good player” (via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic (subscription required)).

Clearly, that is far from a commitment to bringing Alexander back in 2025, and Schneidman believes the two-time Pro Bowler has already played his last snap for Green Bay. Alexander is technically under club control through 2026, but his $16.15MM salary and ~$25MM cap number for 2025 could prove unpalatable for Gutekunst & Co., who could create $6.84MM of cap space by cutting or trading the Louisville product before June 1 (a post-June 1 maneuver would clear over $17MM of room this year).

As Gutekunst noted, Alexander has plenty of value when healthy. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in recent history. The market-topping four-year, $84MM contract Gutekunst authorized for Alexander in May 2022 led to promising early returns, as Alexander played 16 games that season, intercepted a career-high five passes, and yielded a career-best 63.7 QB rating as part of a Pro Bowl effort. But Alexander played in just seven games in both of the last two seasons, with his 2024 campaign cut short by a PCL tear.

After the December 2023 coin-toss fiasco led to a one-game suspension and trade/release rumors last offseason, the Packers elected to keep their talented but injury-prone defender in the fold. This year, however, he may have a new employer.

As Schneidman notes, Gutekunst sounded much more positive when discussing the Green Bay futures of 2022 first-rounders Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. The team must decide whether to exercise the fifth-year options on both players by May 1, an option that would keep them under club control through 2026.

“We’re super fired (up) about both those guys’ seasons this year,” Gutekunst said. “Quay continued to make a leap and another guy who had struggled through injuries at the end of the year, but he was really impactful for us this year. Continues to be a great leader for us. Certainly think we would love to have him around here for longer than just a couple years. He’s that kind of guy. And D-Wy was probably our most consistent pass rusher from the inside this year. Both of them dealt with some injuries and was really proud of how they attacked those and played through some things this year, but I think both those guys had their best years as pros so far.”

At the start of the 2024 season, it sounded as if Walker would not have his option picked up. And in terms of the advanced metrics, his performance last year was fairly underwhelming, as his 57.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus positioned him as the 63rd-best linebacker out of 84 qualified players (which is roughly in line with his first two pro seasons). Given that he does not play a premium position, and given that his fifth-year option is worth a fully-guaranteed $16.06MM, it would not surprise if the option were declined. On the other hand, Gutekunst’s comments made it seem as if he values Walker more highly than the analytics do.

Wyatt’s fifth-year option would check in just north of $13MM, but after totaling 10.5 sacks over the 2023-23 seasons, he has established himself as a viable pass-rushing presence from the interior of the defensive line, even if his run defense could still use some improvement. Of course, getting after the quarterback is the name of the game in today’s NFL, and having an interior defender who can consistently put pressure on opposing passers is a luxury.

Gutekunst also made it plain that he would like to re-sign kicker Brandon McManus (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). McManus, who recently faced sexual assault allegations stemming from his time as a member of the Jaguars, signed with the Packers in October and resolved the civil suit filed by his accusers (it is unclear if the suit was dismissed or if the parties reached a settlement). On the field, the 33-year-old specialist was terrific for Green Bay, nailing 20 of 21 field goal attempts and all 30 PATs last season.

Thanks in part to Alexander’s injury-related absences, Keisean Nixon has seen plenty of action at cornerback over the past two seasons. Although he has not necessarily thrived in that role, he wants to focus on his defense as opposed to his kick return duties moving forward.

Nixon, who will turn 28 in June, earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2022 and 2023 for his efforts as a return man, but he ran back just 18 kickoffs in 2024, compared to 35 in 2022 and 30 in 2023. The recent rule changes relating to kickoffs played a major role in that development.

“I’m kind of over it,” Nixon said of his third phase work (as relayed by Schneidman in a separate subscribers-only piece). “I don’t really want to do it no more. There’s going to be talks with the coaching staff and stuff like that, but I think it’s over with for me.”

Nixon is under contract through 2026 and is due just $1.17MM in base pay this year.

Latest On Packers’ DL Competition

July 12th, 2022 at 9:11am CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers have made a few notable investments into their defensive line this offseason, as they try to bolster what has been one of the team’s weaker position groups in recent years. For both the short- and long-term future, there is cause for optimism.

Green Bay still has Pro Bowler Kenny Clark as an anchor for the unit. The former first-rounder has totalled 22.5 sacks in the past five seasons, and figures to be a mainstay of the team’s defense for years to come. Another key veteran returning in 2022 is Dean Lowry, another 2016 draftee who has been a starter since his second NFL season.

The Packers have a few options to consider in terms of who joins those two as a first-team member. Many may have expected Devonte Wyatt to take on that role, given his status as a first round pick and his college production. A key member of Georgia’s lights-out defense, Wyatt teamed with fellow top pick Jordan Davis on the interior of the Bulldogs’ d-line and totalled 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in 2021.

However, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic notes that Wyatt has strictly seen second-team reps so far this offseason (subscription required). He will likely begin his pro career as a backup to the likes of 2021 fifth-rounder TJ Slaton and free agent addition Jarran Reed. The latter had an underwhelming season in Kansas City last year, but displayed significant pass-rush ability during his time as a Seahawk.

Still, Schneidman adds that it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Wyatt sees himself “playing meaningful snaps not long from now.” He, along with the rest of Green Bay’s re-tooled defensive front could be in line for a productive campaign, something which would go a long way towards helping the team’s Super Bowl aspirations.

Packers To Sign First-Rounder Devonte Wyatt

May 5th, 2022 at 10:03am CST by Adam La Rose

Earlier this week, the first 2022 draftee signed his rookie contract. Today, the first prospect selected on Day 1 has inked his NFL deal. The Packers have agreed to terms with defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).

Wyatt was the second of two Packers first-round choices, going 28th overall. He is set to join former Georgia teammate Quay Walker, who went at No. 22. Wyatt was the second interior defensive linemen selected, behind another former Bulldog, Jordan Davis (taken 13th by the Eagles).

The six-foot-three, 315 pounder was a mainstay of Georgia’s defensive front, and played a key role in the team’s national championship. The 2021 campaign was his most productive, as he totalled 39 tackles (including seven for a loss) and 2.5 sacks. Seen as the more trusted prospect in terms of pass rushing compared to Davis (albeit the one with less overall upside), Wyatt was projected by many to be taken in the latter stages of the first round.

As Rapoport notes, the deal is for four years (with a fifth-year team option) carrying a fully guaranteed value of $12.86MM. The contract also includes a $6.533MM signing bonus. In Green Bay, Wyatt will join a defensive line led by Kenny Clark, but which faces uncertainty beyond the 2022 season. Both Dean Lowry and free agent signee Jarran Reed have only void years left on their respective contracts after the coming season, so Wyatt will provide a long-term answer on the defensive front as the Packers try to keep their Super Bowl window open as long as possible.

Eight Georgia Bulldogs Declare For Draft

January 15th, 2022 at 8:27pm CST by Ely Allen

After wrapping of the 2021 football season with a National Championship win over the Crimson Tide, Georgia is ready to send a couple players to the NFL. So far, we’ve seen declarations from running backs Zamir White and James Cook, wide receiver George Pickens, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, defensive linemen Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and safety Lewis Cine.

White was a 5-star recruit out of North Carolina and the consensus top-ranked running back in the 2018 graduating class. White was forced to red-shirt his true freshman season after tearing his ACL, his second such injury in about 9 months. After healing, he took snaps behind D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien before taking over as the lead back in 2020 rushing for 1,635 yards and 22 touchdowns over the next two seasons. Dane Brugler, of The Athletic, has White ranked as the 7th-best running back in the class and he should expect to hear his name on Day 2 or 3 of the draft.

James Cook, the younger brother of Dalvin Cook, came into Georgia the same year as White but didn’t have to sit out his freshman year. Cook has sat just below White on the depth chart for the three years they were both active, racking up 1,031 rushing yards along with 10 touchdowns in the past two seasons. He is ranked the 5th-best running back on Brugler’s list and should also expect to hear his name in the middle rounds.

Pickens arrived at Georgia as a 5-star recruit after flipping from a commitment to Auburn. He led the team in receiving his freshman year with 727 yards and 8 touchdowns. He improved his yards per game average the next year but missed two games in an already shortened COVID-season. Pickens tore his ACL in March 2021 but returned to contribute to the Bulldogs’ National Championship run catching 2 passes for 61 yards in two playoff games. Brugler has Pickens as the 9th-best receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s expected that some team will take a flyer on the big-bodied receiver on Day 2 or early into Day 3.

Salyer was a 5-star recruit and the consensus top-ranked guard in the 2018 graduating class. Salyer saw his first start late in his sophomore year before securing his spot as the blindside starting tackle for the next two seasons. He missed a couple games with an injury this year, but he surrendered no sacks in eleven starts this year. Brugler has Salyer as the 7th-best interior offensive lineman and we should expect to hear his name on Day 2 or early into Day 3.

Walker came in as a 5-star recruit from west Georgia and dominated as soon as he arrived. Walker became an instant presence on the line with an elite get-off. After starting at defensive tackle for every game this season, Walker led the defensive line in sacks as an interior lineman with 6.0. Despite his size and placement in the Georgia defense, Brugler has Walker as the 4th-best edge rusher in the draft. Whether or not that’s where NFL teams see the junior Bulldog playing, he’s expected to hear his name called late in the first-round or early in the second.

Wyatt initially attended Hutchinson Community College to help meet the academic requirements needed to play Division I football. After transferring to Georgia, Wyatt rotated on the defensive line for two years before becoming a starter in 2020. Wyatt decided to use the extra year of eligibility, granted due to COVID-19, to come back for the 2021 season and it certainly paid off. Brugler has Wyatt as the 4th-best interior defensive lineman and he’s expected to be selected in the middle rounds of the draft.

Dean was a 5-star recruit and the consensus second-ranked inside linebacker in the 2019 graduating class. The much-ballyhooed linebacker made an immediate impact in his freshman year before nabbing the starting job for his entire sophomore and junior seasons. He culminated his final season not only with a National Championship trophy but also with the 2021 Butkus Award trophy given to the top linebacker in college football. He finished the season second on the team in tackles (behind fellow draft hopeful, Cine) and with the team lead in tackles for loss. Dean is the 2nd-best linebacker on Brugler’s list and is widely expected to go in the first round.

Cine was a Top-100 recruit in the 2019 graduating class. Cine played every game his freshman season before taking over as the starting safety for the next two seasons. Cine led the team in tackles for the season and made a few big plays to help the team clinch their National Championship. Brugler has Cine as the 3rd-best safety in the draft and he’s expected to hear his name called on Day 1 or early in Day 2 of the draft.

These eight aren’t the last Bulldogs expected to declare for the draft, either. Although no announcements have been made, defensive tackle, and winner of the 2021 Outland Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award, Jordan Davis, linebackers Channing Tindall and Quay Walker, and cornerback Derion Kendrick all are expected to be weighing their options and could set their sights on the NFL.