Should the Green Bay Packers have Re-signed Bryan Bulaga?

Coming off of a down 2019 season, the Green Bay Packers signed Ricky Wagner to be their right tackle. Meanwhile, Bryan Bulaga signed a reasonable deal with the Chargers. Did the Packers make the right decision?

Based on the reports that we had heard from the NFL Combine, Bryan Bulaga’s future with the Green Bay Packers was already up in the air. And recently it was reported by Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports that Bulaga could make around $12 million per year, compared to the $10 million per year that Spotrac projected.

Then on Monday once the free-agent signings started to be released, we saw players like Halapoulivaati Vaita get a five year – $50 million deal while George Fant signed for three years – $30 million. The tackle market was clearly getting big money and for the Green Bay Packers who have limited spending power, many assumed that Bulaga was simply out of their price range.

However, news recently broke that Bulaga would be signing with the Los Angeles Chargers for a three year – $30 million deal. This is exactly what has been projected for him and given his play, coupled with the contracts that other tackles are making on the open market, it is a very reasonable price tag for him.

Instead, the Packers chose to sign Ricky Wagner to likely fill in as the right tackle and he did come with a very affordable contract. The two-year deal comes with a total of just $11 million and a base salary of just $2.25 million each season. Not to mention that if Green Bay needs a way out, they can move on from Wagner after this season with a dead cap hit of just $1.75 million.

So while they certainly saved some money, given what Bulaga’s deal looks like, was it the right decision?

Well, ultimately we won’t know that answer until the next season or two plays out but what we do know now is that Bulaga has had the better career and he is coming off of a much better 2019 season.

While overall Wagner has been more durable in his career, he has still missed time with injuries and that includes this past season where he started just 12 games. On top of that, he really struggled when he was on the field.

According to Pro Football Focus ( subscription required), Wagner had 467 pass-blocking attempts in 2019 and he allowed three sacks, four quarterback hits, and 32 total pressures. For some context, Bulaga who had 612 pass-blocking attempts, gave up just four sacks, four quarterback hits, and 27 total pressures.

Now, from Green Bay’s perspective, they typically don’t hand out third contracts to offensive lineman, as in the past we’ve seen them move on from both T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton. Also, Bulaga does have an injury history and he is 31-years-old.

However, Wagner is 30, but his contract does come with far less commitment and money.

As we look ahead to what the rest of the offseason holds, finding the tackle of the future is still going to be a priority in the draft for Green Bay and even if Bulaga was back, that still very well could have been the case.

If both are healthy, Bulaga is the better player and that really is no secret. But if Wagner can bounce back and play as he did from 2016 to 2018, then that level of play coupled with his contract is a tremendous value and makes this deal worthwhile. But that remains to be seen.

With that said, Bulaga is coming off of a very good 2019 season after going up against some of the best edge rushers the NFL has to offer. And with an average annual value of $10 million on his new contract, I’m sure that’s something Green Bay could have made work if they really wanted to.

While I wish I could give a definitive answer, as I previously mentioned, we won’t really know if this was the right decision or not until the 2020 season has taken place. But on the surface, given Bulaga’s play in 2019 along with his contract, re-signing him may have been the right move. Especially with a soon to be 37-year-old quarterback that likes to hang on to the football.