12 Packers 2023 Unrestricted Free Agents in Final (or Only) Year of Deal
By Paul Bretl
Early Look at Green Bay Packers 2023 Unrestricted Free Agents
Mason Crosby
Just like the rest of this Green Bay Packers special teams unit, Mason Crosby had his share of struggles last season. Crosby would make only 73.5% of his 34 attempts, but I do want to point out that it wasn’t all his fault either.
On some attempts, there were bad holds, on others poor snaps, and the blocking from the field goal unit was wildly inconsistent–and at times, just very bad.
Ultimately, Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst know these issues were factors, so I don’t believe that there will be much of a kicker competition this summer–not to mention that going with Dominik Eberle, who has two career field goal attempts, comes with plenty of risks.
However, we can see that Father Time is catching up with Crosby as he struggles to consistently put kickoffs through the endzone, and he hasn’t been as reliable on attempts over 40-yards. This leads me to believe that this will be his final season.
Allen Lazard
Allen Lazard is still yet to sign his restricted free agent contract, which may mean nothing, or maybe he and the Packers are working on a contract extension?
While that may sound a bit surprising, it does make a lot of sense. Lazard brings so much more to this offense than just a pass-catching threat; he is a very good run-blocker as well. There was also a five-game stretch to end last season when he caught 21 of his 28 targets at 13.8 yards per catch with five touchdowns–looking like a legitimate second wide receiver.
Without Adams on the team, Lazard’s production could explode this upcoming season.
Robert Tonyan
Coming off an ACL injury, Robert Tonyan is very much on what feels like a one-year prove-it deal.
After an impressive 11 touchdown season in 2020, from a production standpoint, Tonyan was off to a bit of a slower start last season; however, some of that can be attributed to him having to be more of a blocker at times with the injuries along the offensive line.
But it was clear that his presence was missed once he was on IR. No other tight ends on this roster can affect the passing game quite like Tonyan, and there was a void over the middle as well as in the red zone with him sidelined.