Green Bay Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst has voided the contracts of seven veterans who have all played significant roles over the past few years and in some cases even longer. The moves come from the organization’s recent history of contract negotiations and restructures where salary is converted to signing bonus money and voidable years are added to deals to stretch out salary cap ramifications into the future. The team hasn’t been able to utilize this cap management plan into a championship although they came close in Head Coach Matt LaFleur’s first three seasons before falling off in 2022, missing the playoffs altogether at 8-9.
Now it’s apparently time to pay the piper and cut their losses and swallow dead money onto their already tight salary cap situation for 2023.
The seven have a total of 16.4 million dollars of dead money that will count against the cap even if the unrestricted veteran free agents to be are brought back on new deals that will also impact the salary cap.
Headlining the list is safety Adrian Amos at 7.95 million dollars. A steady, reliable player over his first three years since joining the Packers as a Chicago Bear free agent in 2019, his play declined last season and Gutekunst appears ready to acquire a successor via the draft or free agency.
Dean Lowry’s voided contract amounts to three million dollars. He was given an extension just before the 2019 season and was coming off a career high 5 sacks in 2021 but he never quite took that next step on the interior of the defensive line and finished the year on injured reserve with a calf injury. The emergence of T.J. Slaton and last year’s second, first round pick Devonte Wyatt are making Lowry expendable.
Jarran Reed’s dead money will count 1.49 million. A solid veteran addition to the defensive line for his one season with the Pack but he’s now on the other side of 30.
Randall Cobb’s voided deal amounts to 1.39 million. His second tour of duty with the Packers came at the urging of Aaron Rodgers and the team was able to squeeze two more years from the receiver who has climbed into the top ten all-time in receptions and yards but he’ll turn 33 before next season kicks off and the next generation of wide receivers are already on board.
Mason Crosby was next at 1 million. While Crosby may come back on a team friendly, year to year deal, the Packers may be ready to go with a younger, stronger leg. The franchise scoring record holder, among the NFL’s top 20 all-time has had a fantastic 16 year run in Green Bay.
Marcedes Lewis is another million dollar contract. His on-field work consisted of top notch blocking and occasional targets in the passing game. His consecutive games played streak is amazing and his locker room presence and leadership is undeniable but the Big Dog hits 39 in May.
Finally, Robert Tonyan’s dead cap money is just $550,000. He came back on a one year deal following ACL surgery that derailed his 2021 season. He was able to make it through the year but was nowhere near as dynamic as his 11 touchdown season of 2020. If both Tonyan and Lewis aren’t brought back, the Packers are precariously thin at the tight end position and will be a top off-season priority.
Despite this collection of voided deals, the Packers may still continue the practice. Aaron Jones restructured his contract recently, lowering his 2023 salary from 16 to 11 million dollars. Players like David Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Preston Smith or Jaire Alexander may also be in line for money movement and voidable years. Then there’s the Aaron Rodgers question. If he decides he’d like to come back and the Packers want him back, his 59.5 million dollar payout with a 31.6 million dollar cap figure may make it nearly impossible for the team to be at the 224.8 million dollar cap limit by March 13 without further roster, and salary reductions. Even if Rodgers retires or agrees to move on via a trade, the Packers won’t be gaining significant salary cap savings to be a major player in free agency this offseason. Many of the players on that voided list this week were mentioned by the quarterback as key guys he’d like to continue playing with. The salary cap piper says otherwise.
The Packers announced the Tailgate Tour will return this spring. A staple for over a decade, the pandemic put the program on hold for a couple of years but the bus trip around Wisconsin is back. President and CEO Mark Murphy will lead the contingent with Aaron Jones, Elgton Jenkins and Romeo Doubs going along. Former players Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Eddie Lacy and Davon House will also make the Tour set for April 11-15.
