The Green Bay Packers will use up around $11.3 million in cap space in 2020 on newly acquired veterans Christian Kirksey, Rick Wagner and Devin Funchess.
A year after making a giant splash in free agency, GM Brian Gutekunst bypassed the chance to add another big prize and instead used his precious cap space on short-term patches at inside linebacker, right tackle and receiver.
Time will tell if Gutekunst made the right decisions. Individually, the players added can be viewed as cheap and mostly low-risk additions at need positions. Collectively, the three veterans will take up a decent chunk of the cap in 2020 – and all three are coming off worrisome 2019 seasons. Kirksey (two) and Funchess (one) played in three total games; Wagner had his worst season performance-wise. The Packers are banking on big rebounds.
Should Gutekunst have instead used the $11.3 million in 2020 cap to get one of the big prizes in free agency?
Tight end Austin Hooper and linebacker Cory Littleton were widely believed to be two of the team’s top targets. Hooper’s new deal in Cleveland is worth over $40 million over four years, but his cap hit in 2020 will be well under $11.3 million. Littleton’s three-year deal has a 2020 cap hit of $11.75 million. Realistically, the Packers could have afforded either player.
Right tackle Bryan Bulaga has a cap hit comparable to Wagner’s in 2020.
It’s fair to wonder if the Packers added three potentially average players at the cost of one very good player.
But other factors have to be considered.
First, the Packers went into the new league year with several immediate needs, and Gutekunst clearly wasn’t comfortable going into the draft next month knowing he’d need to find potential Day 1 starters on both sides of the ball. To sign one big prize would have almost certainly created two or more pressing needs in the draft. This way, the Packers actually have a veteran with legitimate NFL experience at three of the positions. Now there’s some flexibility, and all decision-makers like flexibility in the draft.
Second, the Packers have significant salary cap considerations past 2020. Kenny Clark, David Bakhtiari, Corey Linsley, Aaron Jones and Kevin King all have expiring deals following next season. The Packers may not be able to retain all five. Adding another big deal now – with a large cap hit in 2021 – would have only complicated that process. If the Packers want, Kirksey, Wagner and Funchess can all leave a small financial footprint after 2020.
Lastly, free agents are mostly crapshoots. The Packers hit on a bunch last year, but the success rate is generally low. Another big swing would be another big risk. It’s possible Gutekunst didn’t find an offensive player worth spending big on, and the defense is already loaded with high-priced players.
The result was a different approach. Instead of signing another big check to fix one need, the Packers put a patch on three different holes during free agency, and now they’ll need the draft to reinforce the stitching.
The Packers’ work this month will be judged by the outcomes of their collective gambles. Hooper, Littleton and Bulaga, all above-average players at their respective positions, were available, and signing just one of the three could have erased a need. The Packers went the thrifty way and addressed each need at pass-catcher, linebacker and offensive tackle with a veteran of lesser quality. These are the difficult decisions a team must make when the cap is tight and big paydays loom.