5 Green Bay Packers on the hot seat after free agency
The Green Bay Packers were one of the least active teams in free agency this season, tapping into the old days when Ted Thompson ran the show. However, they were inactive mostly due to their salary cap situation and did extremely well to keep all the players they did.
The Packers have only added one outside free agent while working diligently to keep their own guys. Dating back to last season, they were able to re-sign David Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Kevin King and Aaron Jones from this year’s free-agent class. That’s impressive.
Despite their lack of movement with outside free agents, the upcoming season brings newfound pressure for a number of key players on their roster. These five guys are on the hot seat following free agency.
These five members of the Green Bay Packers are feeling the heat following the team’s move in this year’s free agency period.
Kevin King, cornerback
King surprisingly re-signed with the Packers for one year and $5 million including a $3.75 million signing bonus. King went up in flames in the NFC Championship game and had his worst game as a professional, leaving a bad taste in a lot of fan’s mouths. That awful performance basically capped a frustrating season for the 26-year-old.
The one-year prove-it deal gives King an opportunity to earn back money he lost last season in future contracts. If he can come in, stay healthy and smooth out his game, he could sign a lucrative deal next offseason. If not, he’ll see his salary decline even further.
J.K. Scott, punter
The Packers’ special teams was an absolute mess a season ago which led to the firing of Shawn Mennenga and the hiring of assistant Maurice Drayton. While Drayton hopes to stop the revolving door of special teams coordinators in the Packers’ recent history, Scott will have his part to play. He’s been maddeningly inconsistent and needs to figure it out in a hurry or his NFL career could be in jeopardy. Green Bay brought in Ryan Winslow to compete with Scott this offseason.
Hunter Bradley, long-snapper
Scott isn’t the only special teamer with competition, as Green Bay also signed another long-snapper to push Hunter Bradley and potentially take over his spot. Joe Fortunato was one of the lone free agent signings by the Packers and has a good chance of sticking. Bradley needs to figure this snapping thing out in a hurry.
Billy Turner, offensive tackle
The reverse happened to Billy Turner as the Packers have not added any outside free agents to any position along the offensive line. Perhaps they are hoping to add some depth through the draft or veterans afterward. That puts Turner in a different kind of hot seat. He’ll be relied heavily upon with Bakhtiari recovering from an ACL tear and no other proven tackles on the roster. No matter which side he lines up at, the Packers will expect big things.
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Aaron Jones, running back
King and others get a lot of heat for the Packers’ no good, horrible, awful performance in the NFC Championship game while Aaron Jones has been fortunate to fly under the radar. He fumbled on his final touch as a Packer and was mostly shut down in this contest. Now that he’s getting paid like a top running back in the NFL he can’t afford these types of games anymore. The Packers have been smart in preserving Jones throughout the regular season and will likely continue to do so. That means he needs to show out in the postseason and make the payoff worth it for Green Bay.