With several free agents of their own to re-sign and only limited cap space to do it, the Green Bay Packers might have seen the last of some of their core players from the past few years, particularly at the inside linebacker position.
One player in particular who’s likely to have played his last down in a Packers uniform is Blake Martinez. According to Spotrac, Martinez’s estimated free agent contract value on a per-year basis is $16.3 million.
The Packers have about $29 million in cap space for the 2020 season, and they’ll most likely terminate the contracts of Jimmy Graham and Lane Taylor, netting the team close to $12.5 million in additional cap space.
Even so, a Kenny Clark contract extension (if and when it happens) will eat up a healthy portion of the Packers’ cap space. If the Packers break tendency and sign an offensive lineman to a third contract, then bringing back Byran Bulaga will cost somewhere in the $9-$10 million range. Brian Gutekunst also expressed interest in bringing back Mason Crosby. This also doesn’t even include Tramon Williams or Ibraheim Campbell, both of whom were heavy contributors in 2019.
Taken together: it’s highly unlikely Gutekunst and the Packers seek to bring back Martinez at a number anywhere near his estimated value, if at all, which means a renewed focus on the position this offseason.
“Martinez is up and I think we’re going to have to take a long look at the inside linebacker thing, make sure we’re squared away there,” Gutekunst told reporters at a press conference Friday.
In his time with the Packers, Martinez was one of the more polarizing players on the defense. On one side, he was one of the most reliably available players on a team frequently decimated by injury. In 2019, Martinez played the third-most snaps on defense, just 12 snaps shy of team leader Adrian Amos. In four seasons, Martinez appeared in 61 of a possible 64 games, starting 57. As the sole three-down traditional inside linebacker in Mike Pettine’s system, Martinez also orchestrates the defense.
The problem, however—and perhaps the reason why the Packers are unlikely to retain his services—is that he’s a limited athlete and lacks the ideal size to be a thumper inside.
The Packers have needs at other places, too, but after two thrashings by the San Francisco 49ers, Brian Gutekunst may be looking for a way to once again upgrade the defense, this time at a position the Packers have historically neglected in terms of draft priority. Given the salary cap restrictions, the Packers will likely look to augment or replace Martinez’s spot through the draft, wherever that lands.
“Traditionally, linebackers come from everywhere through the draft,” Gutekunst said when asked about adding a true three-down linebacker. “I think it’s a little bit scheme-specific. But I think facing today’s offenses from (the middle linebacker) position can be difficult because there’s so many things you have to do, not only athletically but mentally as well. I mean there’s so much on those guys’ plate: setting the fronts, communication on the back end, and then making the right decisions and then having the athleticism to cover backs and tight ends and carry seams. It’s difficult. It’s a difficult skill set to find. When you have those guys, it frees up your defense to do a lot of different things.”
Gutekunst also admitted that having speed at linebacker is “no doubt” a necessity.
The Packers face a conundrum in the sense that there’s a high learning curve for being able to effectively marshal the defensive front while also facilitating communication on the back end in the secondary. Expecting a rookie to step into such a crucible could be foolhardy for a contending team. Then again, not having athletes at the second level has been this defense’s Achilles heel. They’ve been unable to cover tight ends in the middle of the field, their hook-curl zone coverage has been subpar, and their run-and-chase ball carrier pursuit underwhelms.
Retaining Martinez is too expensive. Expecting a rookie to commandeer the defense alone in Year 1 is risky. It’s a delicate situation.
So what’s the best route? We’ll see how Gutekunst handles the situation, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the general manager place some faith in his 2018 third-round pick Oren Burks as in in-house supplement to the draft.
In each of the past two summers, Burks looked ready to see significant playing team, but injuries set him back. This past season, Burks looked to be Martinez’s running mate before he missed four games with a torn pec. He struggled to receive significant playing time as a linebacker in the final months of the season despite the team needing speed at the second level.
Even if the Packers draft an off-ball linebacker, say LSU’s Patrick Queen or Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray, Gutekunst may want to see him paired with Burks, for whom the general manager traded up in the third round in 2018.
The other options include undrafted free agent Curtis Bolton and last year’s seventh-round pick Ty Summers. Bolton flashed in camp before the season and looked like a surprise candidate for a roster spot and playing time. He tore his ACL in the preseason, however.
Ty Summers worked his way into becoming a core special teams player; while Summers demonstrated excellent athleticism in the preseason, it’s far from certain that he’s capable of stepping into a full-time defensive role.
There’s always a chance Gutekunst once again cannonballs into the free agency pool with one of the two top free agent linebackers, Corey Littleton of the Rams or Joe Schobert of the Browns. If that’s the case, the Packers are likely looking for a starting tackle in April.
One thing is for certain: the Packers have a good but incomplete defense. If they want to get past San Francisco or any other Super Bowl-caliber team, it’s going to take some shrewd roster maneuvering without last year’s level of cap space.