The Green Bay Packers will have plenty of cap room to spend in free agency. Here’s an early look at some potential free agent signings.
The Green Bay Packers capped off a dismal season in Week 17, falling to the Detroit Lions 31-0. The Packers finished 2018 with an embarrassing 6-9-1 record, which landed them the 12th overall selection in the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft.
But before we can begin talking about the draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst will first need to bring in some key free agent acquisitions.
The Packers weren’t known as big spenders in free agency under the Ted Thompson regime, but that changed last offseason when Gutekunst took over. Gutekunst has vocalized the importance of acquiring talent through all available avenues, and free agency is now a high priority for Green Bay.
“Obviously there’s limits in what you can do, but we’d like to be really aggressive and see (if) we can be in every conversation. Now, whether that leads to us ending up signing a bunch or not, we’ll see,” Gutekunst said at the NFL scouting combine last February (via Wisconsin State Journal).
Clearly Gutekunst was up to the task, as he brought in marquee free agents Jimmy Graham and Muhammad Wilkerson. Even though Graham had a somewhat disappointing campaign and Wilkerson was placed on injured reserve with a broken ankle, you can’t fault Green Bay’s first-year GM for at least trying.
Whether the Packers will be aggressive in free agency in 2019 remains to be seen. Looking at their needs for next season, pass rusher, safety and right guard fall heavily in the most-needed category. After that, wide receiver, right tackle and inside linebacker come to mind.
The Packers currently have $31 million in cap space, per Spotrac, after signing 10 free agents earlier this week. Green Bay still has plenty of time to craft the foundation of the roster before free agency starts in March, as several veterans could be on the chopping block.
With all of that out of the way, here is an early look at some potential free agent signings for the Packers, broken down by positional need.