With contracts expiring for several important players and little financial spending power under a shrinking salary cap in 2021, the Green Bay Packers may have to let a number of players test free agency without an opening contract offer next month.
Running back Jamaal Williams looks like one player with an uncertain future in Green Bay.
According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers did not extend a new contract offer to Williams over the course of the 2020 season.
A fourth-round pick in 2017, Williams has an expiring rookie contract and will be an unrestricted free agent come the new league year.
Demovsky reports the Packers have sent several contract offers to running back Aaron Jones, who appears to be the team’s free-agent priority at the position. The two sides haven’t struck a deal and it’s looking increasingly likely that Jones, a first-time Pro Bowler in 2020, will reach the open market without a new deal from the Packers.
Williams could be an attractive backup plan if Jones departs.
Over four NFL seasons, Williams has produced nearly 3,000 total yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has at least 25 catches in all four seasons.
Although far from a game-changer, Williams did have over 100 total yards in two of his starts in place of Jones this season, and he’s both reliable as a runner, receiver and blocker and beloved by teammates and coaches.
The Packers just might not have the money to bring him back. Well over the projected 2021 salary cap at this point, the Packers will need to clear space over the next month before even entertaining adding more to next year’s cap.
It’s possible the Packers will let players like Williams hit the open market and find out their own value before making a real offer.
Since joining the Packers in 2017, Williams has 622 total touches while playing 1,754 offensive snaps over 60 regular season games. Of the running backs selected in 2017, Williams ranks ninth in Approximate Value, a measure tracked by Pro Football Reference. Jones is fifth.
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