Packer Offseason Thread: Latest- Packers Sign Kenny Clark- 4 years/$70 Million

[LouisEly]

I was making two points:

 

1) YG1 said he had a "hard time seeing" Watkins getting cut - I was saying it's almost certain that he gets cut because of his cap hit.

 

2) If/when he does get cut, he's not someone I'd give a lot of money to. It would have to be a one-year prove-it, less than $10M deal.

[Jenkins5]

I was making two points:

 

1) YG1 said he had a "hard time seeing" Watkins getting cut - I was saying it's almost certain that he gets cut because of his cap hit.

 

2) If/when he does get cut, he's not someone I'd give a lot of money to. It would have to be a one-year prove-it, less than $10M deal.

 

Sounds like Chiefs will try to restructure deal before cutting him. Watkins in an article talked about it and said he’d only do it if it makes sense to. Figure his agent will try to see what his market is and how that would slot against restructured deal. He even talked about just sitting out a year if cut which doesn’t make sense to me.

 

He does have game speed that Packers strongly lack outside of MVS but you can actually have him in lineup without being a liability. If price reasonable. Could be worth it. I mean, outside of Adams it isn’t pretty. I’m good with him, Cobb, Anderson, Green, Sanders, mid as well still say Cooper even though that won’t happen, and even Perriman is upgrade over current situation. We need a revamp through draft and FA

 

My top priority is Austin Hooper who I feel is still very underrated as a TE despite production or Hunter Henry. Henry is a phenomenal TE when on field but can you really pay up when he can’t stay on the field? That is biggest question. They can’t make same mistake as last year and put all there eggs on Sternberger like they did at WR.

 

I see a lot of talk about Littleton but I hate that. Yes he is elite in coverage at position but flat out awful vs run. He ranked like 104 out of 115 grade IBs vs run. I’d like at least one backer who can step up, take on a block, and smoke a running back from inside. Maybe if we had that, we wouldn’t have let SF just gash us all game. Littleton doesn’t help that problem

[PeaveyFury]

Crosby re-signed to a 3-year, $12.9 million deal.

 

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2020/02/22/green-bay-packers-retain-stability-kicking-game-re-signing-mason-crosby/4844438002/

[adambr2]

Well, we've been paying top kicker money for an average kicker for the last 8 years. No reason to stop now.

[PeaveyFury]

He was well above average in 2019.....

[pacopete4]

Good for Mason. Very happy for him.

[adambr2]

He was well above average in 2019.....

 

For sure he was. If he can keep that performance level, it will be well worth it. But his career norms from year to year indicate some regression from 2019 is likely.

[SeaBass]

Known quantity vs. unknown. Clearly the team values the known, even if it brings average performance. They know he can handle kicking at Lambeau and I think that gives the heavy edge to Crosby. Also sounds like they can get out of his contract after year 1 if he takes a nose dive. No brainier.

[JosephC]

Look at it this way. The Crosby deal averages 4.3 million per season. True, there are a bunch of journeymen kickers who make 600-700k and bounce around the league from year to year. But OverTheCap has the 16th highest paid kicker making 3.751 million, so that number is a pretty good reflection of what could be considered league average. So basically the Packers would be paying Crosby about 550k above league average per season. To me that's a pretty small price to pay for a guy who has been really solid performer for Green Bay for a really long time.

[superfly]

Oh the things I would do for Jerry Jeudy to be catching passes from Rodgers...

 

I’d gladly settle for Ruggs. It’s time to invest in WR, enough gambling. Adams would be even more efficient if there was a good WR opposite him.

[RollieTime]

Oh the things I would do for Jerry Jeudy to be catching passes from Rodgers...

 

I’d gladly settle for Ruggs. It’s time to invest in WR, enough gambling. Adams would be even more efficient if there was a good WR opposite him.

 

I saw an article a day or two ago with Gute saying that he believes the lack of firepower from the offense was from learning a new offense, but also because of a lack of talent at the tight end and wide receiver positions.

 

I fully expect multiple new offensive weapons this offseason. Hooper makes too much sense as a TE target. I also think that one of our first 2 draft picks, hopefully our first, is used on a WR with a veteran wide receiver signing as well.

[HiAndTight]

 

Defensive line (7): Clark is a FA after next year, Adams hasn't developed, and we saw what a dominant defensive line can do in the games against San Francisco. I like Keke as a developmental guy, Lowry is underrated, and Lancaster is a decent two-down run stuffer, but another disruptor on the line is needed.

ILB (10): Martinez is a FA and if he leaves I have no idea what they will do as Burks hasn't developed. Unfortunately, this isn't a good year for ILBs in the draft. Likely a very high priority for a FA signing with what few FA dollars they will have left after (hopefully) extending Clark and Bak.

 

Remember for our DLine, they’re not taught or paid to dominate. They’re taught to occupy blockers and create opportunities for our linebackers. If we want to push towards a 4-3 again, then the DLine can be asked to try to dominate. Then again, we haven’t really used 4-3 or 3-4 in years, as our base defense has been nickel

 

 

This was under Capers. With Pettine's defense the DL is asked to disrupt and try and penetrate a lot more. That's one of the reasons why Pettine was so high on Adams before the season and talking about how he had the best off-season of any defensive player(him and Raven Greene anyway).

 

Teams like the Rams run a 34 but want their DL to get upfield and not just occupy blockers. The Jets were the same when they had that great front with Wilkerson and Williams.

[HiAndTight]

I was just going to put up an offseason needs by position thread, so perhaps you can change the title of the thread.

 

Number in parenthesis is the need on a 0-10 scale.

 

Quarterback (4): Need for a starter - 0. Need for a backup - 9. Time to start developing a legitimate backup.

Running back (1): Jones has become a legitimate star, Williams a high quality backup, and the addition of Ervin as a gadget player makes this one of the best backfields the Packers have had since the 60's.

Tight end (5): I'm pretty high on Sternberger, hard to tell what they have in him because of the injuries, but Graham is all but certain to get cut and Lewis is on the twilight of his career. They could stand to bring in a developmental guy. They moved James Looney from DL to TE as he looked good at TE on the scout team; maybe he can develop into a good blocking TE to replace Lewis.

Wide receiver (9): The young guys haven't developed, and it's past time to invest here. It's the right time too, as 55(!) wide receivers were invited to the NFL combine. They don't need to invest a 1st, as there will be talented WRs available in the 2nd and 3rd round, maybe later. Good chance they will double-dip at WR in the draft.

Tackle (8): Bulaga is a FA, and Bak will be after next year. They'll need to draft one this year, because even if Bulaga is back, he doesn't have a lot of years left and usually only plays about 80% of the teams snaps because of various injuries.

Guard (5): Taylor likely is a cap casualty, and who knows when Madison will be ready to return, so depth is needed. If Bulaga isn't back and Turner slides out to RT, then this becomes an 8. Linsley is a FA after next season, and Jenkins could slide back to center if Linsley moves on.

Center (4): Linsley had one of the best pass block win rates for centers in the league last year, if not the best, but he is due $10.6M this year and is a FA after next year.

 

Defensive line (7): Clark is a FA after next year, Adams hasn't developed, and we saw what a dominant defensive line can do in the games against San Francisco. I like Keke as a developmental guy, Lowry is underrated, and Lancaster is a decent two-down run stuffer, but another disruptor on the line is needed.

OLB (2): If someone signs away Fackrell they will need another backup, but they are pretty well set here for the next three years.

ILB (10): Martinez is a FA and if he leaves I have no idea what they will do as Burks hasn't developed. Unfortunately, this isn't a good year for ILBs in the draft. Likely a very high priority for a FA signing with what few FA dollars they will have left after (hopefully) extending Clark and Bak.

Corner (4): King finally started to show what he can do when healthy, but he hasn't been healthy. Alexander is a budding star, they found a gem in Sullivan, and they were so deep here they let Tony Brown go. That being said, cornerbacks are like starting pitchers, you can never have too many good ones.

Safety (4): Like QB, the need for starters is zero, but they need to upgrade backups here as Will Redmond wasn't cutting it and Tramon Williams is a free agent. Campbell and Greene are just guys. Maybe it's time to move Josh Jackson to safety.

 

Kicker (9): While Crosby is likely to be back, he is a free agent.

Punter (2): While inconsistent, Scott has a big leg and should be given more time to develop. Need for a better special teams coach - 9.

Long snapper (1): I don't recall hearing Bradley's name being called once in the last two years, and for a long snapper that is a very good thing.

 

 

I agree with pretty much every position, but I'd probably swap safety and RB. I disagree that Greene is "just a guy" at safety. He came back last year ready to play that hybrid box safety position and was off to a great start before the ankle injury. I think getting him back on the field and healthy will make a huge difference. He came back last year and looked like a totally different guy. Added about 15-20 pounds and quite a bit of muscle.

 

 

I think you're really overrating the RB position however. Just going back the last 20 or so years I think we've had multiple backfields that were at least as good as this current group and arguably better if you factor in health. Ahman Green, Davenport, Fischer. We Lacy and Starks was a really good duo and then Kuhn was a good short yardage back. The best and most versatile was probably Levens, Bennett and Hendeson in the Super Bowl years.

 

 

But moving forward, given just how important the play action game is and how that outside zone run is the key to SO many different plays the Packers run, you really need another good, reliable back in the mix. Williams is a good, solid hard runner, but he doesn't have very good vision. It's really infuriating to watch Jones out there and then watch Williams come in for him and totally miss the cutback lanes that Jones would have hit.

 

Jones looks like a young star, but he's missed quite a few games and even if he hadn't, he's a smaller guy and you probably don't want to count on him for the 285 touches he got this year.

 

 

Our offensive scheme is pretty much the same as the 49ers, Rams, Falcons. What they've had in common is when they've thrived, they've had multiple backs who could take over. Tevin Coleman and Freeman in Atlanta, Coleman, Massert, Brieda in SF and with the Rams you could see how they really lived and died with Todd Gurley. When he played and played well, they were very good on offense. When he struggled, they struggled.

 

Maybe we pick a guy up cheap in free agency.

 

Kareem Hunt's available....that's certainly be a risky addition, but if you could pick him up for cheap, just in terms of talent, you'd be getting a #1 caliber back for backup money. I'm sure that's unlikely, but I'd definitely like to see someone. I'd really use the template that the Falcons or the 49'ers have created for how to run this Shanahan style offense.

[PeaveyFury]

It’s being widely reported that Graham will be released Thursday, which should be no surprise to anyone.

[homer]

Players voted to approve new CBA.

[PeaveyFury]

With the CBA approved, all attention likely turns to the start of free agency this week, considering it may be the only sports thing to follow for a while....

 

The cap and their status may change with the new CBA and updated minimum salaries, but as of now, the Packers have just over $25 million in cap space following the release of Graham and factoring in the ~$7.5 million for their draft pool. I'd think a Bakhtiari extension and a Linsley restructure/extension are very possible in the next few days to free up additional space, and a Lane Taylor release is likely.

 

It looks like Martinez and Bulaga are each expected to get $10+ million per year contracts, so I'd expect both to be gone at this point. The Packers have already been linked to TE Austin Hooper and LB Christian Kerksey, who was released by the Browns for cap purposes.

[young guns]

I'm wondering how the 17th game will work. Seems like the consensus on home/road split seems to be conferences flip flop 9 home and 8 road. But who gets scheduled for the 17th game? I heard one, I think it was a suggestion, where the conferences would be seeded 1-16, basically playoff rankings, and then you would play the same ranked team from the other conference. Seems to make sense, but what happens if they are already scheduled to play? Play twice, switch with the next closest team in the order? I'm thinking about going through and seeing how that would have affected the past 2 seasons.

[young guns]

So, just doing the rough matchups, I used the standings on nfl.com and sorted by conference and I'm not sure how they did tiebreakers for that(if at all) and how teams like the eagles would be sorted in this(they were the 4 seed but 6th best record) but i just used record. So, for the 2019 seaon 3 matchups would have been duplicates, 4, 5, and 10. The 2020 season there would have been 2, the 6 and 16. Another wrench would be if they donit like the draft and order the playoff teams based on results which would move the chiefs to rhe 1 and the ravens drop to 3 and titans go from 6 to 2. Lots to work out with this yet. Interested to see what the nfl ends up doing.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

It appears that Packers have signed ex-Browns ILB Christian Kirksey to a 2-year/$16 million contract. He's a solid player if he can stay healthy. More athletic than Martinez. Better in pass coverage. Also a good leader who was voted captain his second year in the league.

 

Of course, health is the huge issue, and why the Packers were able to get him for the price they did.

[PeaveyFury]

If the Packers come through the week with Kirksey, Cory Littleton, and Hooper in the fold, they will have made the team much better for the 2nd year in a row.

[adambr2]

I don't get the Hooper hype. He isn't particularly fast, doesn't stretch the field much and isn't a great redzone receiver.

 

He does everything *fairly well*, but resetting the TE market for "fairly well" doesn't seem like a great idea.

[PeaveyFury]

I think the financials matter, adam. But he's good for ~70-75 receptions and ~700-ish yards, which is more production that we've received from the TE position in years. I think that signing him, along with (hopefully) development from Sternberger should solidify the position significantly and allow draft capital to be used elsewhere.

[homer]

Packers signed former UW O-Lineman Rick Wagner RT. Looks like Bulaga is gone as most predicted.

[homer]

Packers fill needs at MLB and OT without giving up much and will get comp picks for the two guys they lost. Guessing they draft a tackle early.

[PeaveyFury]

Wagner consistently graded as a very good RT until last year. Whether that's age-related drop-off or something else is yet-to-be determined, but I'm assuming the Packers think there's something they can fix or that he should rebound.

 

Looks like $11 million/2 years with $3.5 million guaranteed for Wagner.