When it comes to signing members of their 2022 draft class, the Green Bay Packers seem to be acting much quicker than what they have in the past–or at least when it comes to signing their early-round selections.
With the rookies already at Lambeau Field, Green Bay reportedly signed Devonte Wyatt to his rookie contract on Thursday morning, and it was reported later in the day by Tom Pelissero, that the Packers also signed the 22nd overall pick, Quay Walker.
The details of Walker’s rookie contract with the Green Bay Packers
According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the four-year deal is worth $13.8 million with a $7.2 million signing bonus–and I’m going to take a guess that the entire contract is fully guaranteed, which has become the norm for most first-round selections, including Wyatt. As a first-round pick, the Packers have a fifth-year option they’ll be able to exercise as well.
The selection of Quay Walker was the biggest surprise in the Green Bay Packers draft to me–and the main reason is because of the position that he plays. After not pumping much capital into the linebacker position over the years — whether that be with draft capital or free agency dollars — in one offseason, the Packers signed De’Vondre Campbell to a $50 million deal and then also selected Walker in the first round.
The addition of Walker is going to allow the Green Bay Packers to stay in their base nickel package — which includes two linebackers — more often than what they did a season ago. One of the trickle-down effects of this is that the Packers should be less reliant on having a third safety on the field–and that’s a positive given the lack of experienced depth on the roster behind Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage.
Walker brings added athleticism to the position and should be able to hang with tight ends and running backs in coverage. However, his biggest impact early on could come against the run, with his ability to flow sideline-to-sideline and fill gaps–not to mention that he was an incredibly reliable tackler at Georgia.
"“His range and speed and explosiveness as a tackler was something we couldn’t pass up,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said via Packers Wire."
As mentioned in a previous article, Rob Demovsky would report that the Packers’ 11 draft picks will account for $12.85 million in cap space this season. Over the Cap currently has Green Bay with just over $14 million in available cap space—although they do have a few cap-creating moves left, most notably an extension for Jaire Alexander.