Green Bay Packers: Potential 2021 Cap Casualties
By Paul Bretl
Cap casualties happen every NFL offseason, here are a few Green Bay Packers players that could fall into this group next offseason.
It happens around the NFL every offseason and the Green Bay Packers are no stranger to it. Cap casualties. When a player hasn’t lived up to their contract and the team can save a decent amount of cap space by moving on from them.
A few years back we saw the Packers move on from Josh Sitton just before the season began. Then last summer they would release Mike Daniels. And this year, many – including myself – thought that Lane Taylor would join this group, however, they were able to restructure his contract instead.
So while we still have the entire 2020 season ahead of us, it’s never too early to look ahead to the upcoming offseason. And for Green Bay, whether they are flat-out cut or perhaps there is some trade value, I see five players in particular that could end up being cap casualties in 2021.
Now, keep in mind these aren’t the only players whose cap hits exceeds their dead cap hits. Players such as Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos, and Davante Adams all fall into that category as well, but I just don’t see them being cut or traded.
Then there are players like Oren Burks, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or Josh Jackson who may also be cut, however, they don’t carry a big enough cap hit for there to be substantial savings.
This article focuses on those players that need to step up in 2020 and if they don’t, the Green Bay Packers could save a few million dollars by moving on from them.
Billy Turner
2021 Cap hit: $8.05 million
2021 Dead cap hit: $4.5 million
After having a career year in Denver during the 2018 season, the Green Bay Packers awarded Billy Turner with a four year – $28 million deal. And while I would consider him an upgrade over Byron Bell at right guard, overall he was still below average last season.
Pro Football Focus credited Turner with nine sacks and 52 total pressures allowed in 2019. With several young guards on the roster behind him, along with a much less expensive Lucas Patrick, Turner has to play better this season or it could be his last in Titletown.
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Christian Kirksey
2021 Cap hit: $8.0 million
2021 Dead cap hit: $2.0 million
It’s been two full seasons since Christian Kirksey was fully healthy having appeared in just nine total games during that span. While he certainly has the potential to be an upgrade over Blake Martinez, rightfully so, the Green Bay Packers gave themselves an out after Year 1 if the injury bug strikes again or he can’t return to his previous form.
Dean Lowry
2021 Cap hit: $6.3 million
2021 Dead cap hit: $3.0 million
Dean Lowry was the No. 2 option along the interior defensive line last year next to Kenny Clark and if I had to choose one word to sum up his play, I would choose “fine.” Lowry isn’t going to make a ton of noise as a pass-rusher, but he does do well against the run. In fact, his 27 run stops last season were tied for the 11th most among all interior defensive linemen.
If we see the emergence of Kingsley Keke in 2020, then there is the real possibility that the Green Bay Packers choose to save that $3.3 million in cap space by moving on from Lowry.
Rick Wagner
2021 Cap hit: $6.0 million
2021 Dead cap hit: $1.75 million
Rick Wagner has some big shoes to fill at right tackle as he takes over for Bryan Bulaga and if we are being truthful, he isn’t going to be able to fill them. The hope is that we see the Wagner from past seasons, but it’s worth noting that since becoming a starter in 2014, he has played in all 16 games just one time and he is coming off a down 2019 season as well.
Much Like Christian Kirksey, if Wagner misses too much time or just isn’t up to snuff, the Green Bay Packers have a way out of his contract next offseason.
Next. A Little More Rest for The Smiths in 2020. dark
Now, one other player who I didn’t want to give a full category to but did want to mention is Aaron Rodgers. With the selection of Jordan Love, we all know that Rodgers is on the clock and financially speaking the Green Bay Packers could move on from him next offseason. However, at this point I still see it as very unlikely.
Trading Rodgers would result in a dead cap hit of $31.556 million and it would save them just under $4.8 million in cap space. Is that trade-off even worth it to move on from a player of Rodgers’ caliber? I’m not sure that it is.
As of now it would take a perfect storm of Rodgers’ play dropping off, the Packers having the utmost confidence that Love is ready to be a starter, and the right trade offer for this scenario to happen. So like I said, I see this as quite unlikely, but I did want to at least mention it.
All contract info courtesy of Spotrac.