After securing a spot in this year’s playoffs with last week’s blowout win over the New Orleans Saints, the Green Bay Packers will aspire to a deep postseason run once the New Year hits. With an 11-4 record, the Packers are a talented team but currently winless against the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. Therefore, they still have to prove they can contend with the crème de la crème in the NFC.
If this doesn’t turn out to be Green Bay’s year, they will still have plenty of pieces to build around. Roster building is a 365-day-a-year job, and there will undoubtedly be areas where the Packers can improve during the offseason.
While it’s hard to get into the offseason mindset with so much more football to be played, Green Bay is projected to have plenty of money to spend, opening the door for an aggressive approach in free agency. With that in mind, Pro Football Focus recently released its top 50 free agents for 2025. Some names on their list could be great fits for a cash-flush Packers team.
Using PFF’s rankings, let’s identify a few free agents who could be at the top of Green Bay’s wish list in 2025.
CB D.J. Reed, New York Jets
2024 stats: 12 games (12 starts), 54 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 10 pass breakups, zero interceptions
PFF: “Reed is poised to enter free agency at an ideal moment, as he’s on track for a career year. His 75.1 coverage grade ranks 14th among players at his position this season. He’s also excelled in PFF’s advanced metrics, boasting a 52.26% lockdown percentage.”
Fit with Packers: Last offseason, the only new corner added to the Packers roster was seventh-round pick Kalen King, an indication the team felt pretty good about their corner depth. That decision has worked out well, considering they are 8th overall in passing yards allowed per game this season, even with top corner Jaire Alexander missing eight games due to injury. However, with Alexander’s injuries piling up and former first-rounder Eric Stokes on an expiring deal, corner should be a higher priority in 2025. Reed will be highly coveted, but Green Bay might be an appealing destination. There would likely be a lot of carryover from the Jets’ scheme to Jeff Hafley’s, setting up for a smooth transition for Reed, who would join an extremely talented secondary and be starting for a legitimate contender.
EDGE Malcolm Koonce, Las Vegas Raiders
2024 stats: No games played (injury)
PFF: “If Koonce hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury before 2024 began and instead carried over his momentum from the back half of 2023, he could’ve been squarely within the top 10 of our list. Perhaps the silver lining, if there is one, to getting injured so early in the year is that Koonce should be healthier entering the free agency period than if he got hurt during the season. A short-term deal where Koonce can hit the market again in 2026, or sign an extension one year into a two-year deal a la recent edge defenders like Uchenna Nwosu, could make sense.”
Fit with Packers: Green Bay’s edge rusher room has done a good job of late, but if they are looking for some reinforcements, Koonce is worth a look. Coming off a breakout year of 8.0 sacks, 43 tackles, and 17 quarterback hits in 2023, Koonce unfortunately suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice just three days before the start of the 2024 season. The Raiders have had a disastrous year and would be wise to retain a player with Koonce’s potential, but they could also choose to let him walk. Still only 26, Koonce’s best football may still be ahead of him, and Green Bay is an ideal landing spot where he could continue to hone his skills in a 4-3 defense. At the very least, he’s an excellent rotational piece to pair with Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, and Brenton Cox Jr.
C Drew Dalman, Atlanta Falcons
2024 stats: 7 games (7 starts), 61.4 pass-blocking grade, 79.6 run-blocking grade, eight pressures and two sacks allowed in pass protection, 411 offensive snaps played
PFF: “There aren’t many long-term answers in free agency at center, which will make Dalman the primary beneficiary if he reaches the open market. Any team that deploys an outside-zone rushing scheme will be all over the former fourth-round pick. Dalman has room to grow as a pass protector but is one of the best run-blocking centers in the NFL and will advance the continued growth of the interior offensive line market after Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey finally reset the center market.”
Fit with Packers: Josh Myers has been the Packers’ preferred center for the past four years, but that could change once his rookie contract expires at the end of the season. Green Bay could definitely find an upgrade for Myers, who is the 39th-ranked center among centers who have played at least 200 offensive snaps this season. That pales in comparison to Dalman, who is fifth overall. The Packers would be getting a much more consistent player in Dalman, which has been an issue with Myers since he entered the league as a second-round pick in 2021. Dalman was in the same draft class and has vastly outperformed Myers despite being drafted two rounds later.