Green Bay Packers: 4 Likely Salary Cap Cuts this Offseason
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers EDGE: Preston Smith
2019 was a big season for Preston Smith, he totaled 12 sacks, which was the eighth-most in the NFL and his 62 pressures were the 15th most among edge rushers. This season, however, we didn’t see the same effectiveness. In fact, it wasn’t really close.
Smith would go on to record just four sacks during the regular season and only 26 pressures. A far cry from his production just one season ago. Over the second half of the season, in particular, we saw flashes, but the overall consistency as a pass-rusher and against the run just wasn’t there.
From a salary cap perspective, with the emergence of Rashan Gary this year, this should be a relatively easy decision for the Green Bay Packers. Smith comes with a hefty $16 million dollar cap hit in 2021 but a dead cap hit of $8 million, meaning the Packers can save $8 million by cutting him. Smith was such a key member of the 2019 team, but his play in 2020 doesn’t justify that kind of cap hit in 2021.
A Few Quick Thoughts
— Prior to the season beginning, I thought that Billy Turner would have been a cap casualty this offseason with the Packers being able to save about $3.5 million in cap space by cutting him. But his high-level of play and versatility are far too valuable–especially considering that the Packers don’t have his replacement on the roster at the moment.
— Similarly, with how the season started for Adrian Amos, I thought he could be in this same category as well, saving Green Bay about $4.5 million in cap space. But Amos really kicked it into a new gear, and like Turner, even in a year with a reduced salary cap, from a football standpoint, it doesn’t make sense for the Packers to move on from him.
Next. Green Bay Packers Move On From Mike Pettine. dark
— In addition to the four names that I mentioned, Devin Funchess is another name to keep your eyes on. Funchess opted out of the 2020 season, so his contract rolls over to 2021. If the Packers want to cut him, they will save about $1.3 million. The reason that I didn’t include him above is that I’m not really sure what they will do. I could see them moving on from him, but with a cap hit of only $2.36 million, I could see them keeping him as well.