People around the NFL were surprised and overjoyed when the Green Bay Packers became unexpected spenders in free agency. They certainly didn’t skimp on their foray either. In the space of just a few days, they added a slew of new faces to their roster. Most of them coming on the defensive side of the ball.
Among them were safety Adrian Amos, formerly of the Chicago Bears. Then came pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith from Baltimore and Washington respectively. All told the moves cost them $155 million in new contracts just for those three. It doesn’t count offensive lineman Billy Turner who got a $29.5 million deal.
People weren’t sweating it much. Even after the moves, signs indicated the team still had breathing room under the salary cap. According to OverTheCap.com, they have just over $13 million to spare. However, it seems the details are a bit less optimistic than that according to Packers beat writer Tom Silverstein.
I'm starting to hear the #Packers aren't in good salary cap shape as reported. Because of cap charges that weren't previously calculated, multiple sources say they are very tight after their most recent spending spree. One source estimated it was close to $5M under. We'll see.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) March 18, 2019
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Green Bay Packers have a big problem if this is the case
If this is true, and Silverstein is well-connected with that team, then the Packers are in a major bind. Not only will they not be able to forage at all in free agency anymore, they likely don’t have enough space at present to even accommodate their upcoming draft class. Don’t forget they have two 1st round picks this year. Their salaries alone would put Green Bay over the cap limit. Never mind the other selections they have.
This means their GM Brian Gutekunst needs to find a way to create more space as quickly as possible. He has two options in that regard. Either he restructures one of the bigger contracts on the team such as Aaron Rodgers or David Bakhtiari. Or he cuts somebody. Here’s a list of possible names that may include:
- Mike Daniels – $8.3 million
- Bryan Bulaga – $6.75 million
- Tramon Williams – $3.75 million
- Mason Crosby – $3.6 million
Suffice to say this situation is not ideal for the Bears’ longtime rival. Based on how this is being reported, the Packers seemed to overlook some of the cap ramifications when they made their big signings in free agency. Not the best look for Gutekunst and his crew. It’s also a reminder to Chicago fans on how much they should appreciate Ryan Pace, who has demonstrated time and again how masterful he is handling the cap.
