Green Bay Packers should re-sign Blake Martinez next offseason

Blake Martinez is in the final year of his contract with the Green Bay Packers and is in line for a big payday. Given what we have seen from Martinez in recent seasons, they shouldn’t hesitate to bring him back.

This is a big season ahead for Blake Matinez as he is in the final season of his rookie deal with the Green Bay Packers, and just given his current contract, he has been a steal for Green Bay.

If Martinez can continue to produce as he has, and stay on the same career trajectory, he will be in store for a big contract next offseason.

Over the last two seasons, Martinez has really come into his own, totaling 286 tackles including 185 solo, along with six sacks in which five of those came in 2018. Matinez has also added 11 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.

Some may knock his abilities in coverage, but he was much improved last season. Martinez is also just about as sure of a tackler as this Green Bay Packers team has, and you will rarely find him out of position. He is the quarterback of this defense and is greatly trusted by the coaching staff.

With so much uncertainty and lack of experience currently on the roster for the Green Bay Packers at inside linebacker, they are going to need another big season from Martinez to help this defense reach its full potential. If he stays healthy once again and produces, he deserves the payday.

Currently, Blake Martinez is the 69th highest paid inside linebacker according to Spotrac. The highest paid players include C.J. Mosely at $17 million, Kwon Alexander at $13.5 million and Luke Keuchly at $12.36 million.

While Martinez may not hit that level of yearly pay, the next tier of Bobby Wagner, Alex Ogletree, and Eric Kendricks all around the $10 million mark is a likely stratosphere for him to land in.

However, as we look ahead to the following offseason, something to keep in mind is the Packers cap space. After four big free agent signings this year, Over the Cap has Green Bay with only $15.2 million in available space at this point. And while that number can be manipulated, that is not much room for new contracts.

Another factor that Martinez’ future in Green Bay may have going against it is that the Packers do not have a strong history of paying their inside linebackers.

The last player at this position to receive a big contract was A.J. Hawk in 2011. Since then we have seen players like Desmond Bishop, Sam Barrington, and Brad Jones all leave Green Bay for more money elsewhere. But of course, none of them have had near the production that Martinez has had over a two year period.

There is still a full season of football to be played and a lot can change in that span, but as of now, Oren Burks still has to prove himself, while Ty Summers and James Crawford are unknowns. There is also the possibility that there could be less expensive options in free agency at that time, however, it is unlikely they will have the same production and intangibles that Martinez brings to the table.

With that said, as we currently stand, I’m not sure how the Green Bay Packers would replace Martinez production and reliability on this defense. So hopefully, giving him a new contract in 2020 is near the top of their to-do list.