Green Bay Packers Re-Sign or Let Go & Prediction: Kevin King
By Paul Bretl
We are nearing the end of my Re-Sign or Let Go & Prediction series, but with a few more players to discuss, up next is Green Bay Packers cornerback Kevin King.
For those just tuning in, I have been going through each of Green Bay’s 14 unrestricted free agents and discussing why the Packers could re-sign each of them, why those players may end up elsewhere, while at the end, I provide my prediction.
If you’ve missed any of the previous articles, you can find them all here:
Why the Green Bay Packers would re-sign Kevin King
As I brought up when discussing Chandon Sullivan’s future with the team, the Green Bay Packers’ cornerback room is incredibly thin right now, despite having Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes. The other three cornerbacks on the depth chart currently, have just 38 career defensive snaps, and all belong to Shemar Jean-Charles.
While Kevin King has certainly taken his lumps, there is value in having that experience on the roster—not to mention that he is familiar with Joe Barry’s defense. As we saw, when King doesn’t have to be relied upon heavily, he did find some success in a more rotational role, instead of having to be “the guy.”
Last season there was a three-game stretch for King against Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Seattle, where he gave up eight receptions on 13 targets and allowed only 48 total yards during that span with a passer rating of 58.3, according to PFF ($$). This is the version of King we have seen sporadically over his career.
With that said, if King is going to be the third or fourth option — which suits him best — then he needs to be compensated as such. Last year’s one-year $5 million deal felt a little steep, but if King is willing to come back once again for a league-minimum deal — or something close to that — there can be value in having a player with his experience off the bench.