Green Bay Packers: Grading the Christian Kirksey, Rick Wagner signings
By Joe Kipp
Signing Christian Kirksey: B+
The Packers couldn’t re-sign linebacker Blake Martinez due to what he was asking for on the open market, so signing Christian Kirksey was always going to be the better alternative. Martinez, who spent four seasons with the Packers after being drafted by the team in 2016. Based on his level of play, Martinez isn’t worth the three-year, $30 million payday he garnered from the Giants.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
The Packers cashed in on a low-risk veteran to replace Martinez in the form of Kirskey. The biggest reason this signing gets a B+ is due to Kirksey’s price tag. The seven-year vet inked a two-year deal worth $13 million (only $4 million guaranteed). His cap hit will be a mere $4.25 million in 2020, freeing up room for other potential signings for Green Bay this offseason.
Kirksey’s price tag came much cheaper than Martinez likely due to injuries. Kirksey played in just nine games over the past two seasons because of hamstring and chest injuries that landed him on injured reserve. If he gets injured this coming season, the Packers can release him next offseason for a dead cap hit of just $2 million.
That said, if he can stay healthy, Kirksey should be just as productive as Martinez was for the Packers. The former Cleveland Brown was drafted in the third round out of Iowa in 2014. He’s tallied 430 tackles (27 for loss), 11.5 sacks, 11 pass breakups, 22 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles over 64 career games (45 starts).