2 Packers make PFF’s top 100 free agents list

Pro Football Focus has come out with their annual top 100 free agent guide for the 2023 NFL offseason, and while the Green Bay Packers have 14 unrestricted free agents, only two made the list–Allen Lazard and Adrian Amos.

Allen Lazard came in at No. 62 with him projected to sign a three-year deal worth $33 million, or $11 million per year. Although not a true No. 1 target, Lazard provided the Packers with a reliable presence in the passing game, especially in high-leverage situations, including in the red zone and on third downs. He set career highs with 98 targets, 60 receptions, and 788 receiving yards—not to mention being a very valuable member of the Green Bay run game with his blocking ability.

However, while there is value in reliability, Lazard is limited and best suited for a smaller role. If what PFF projects is the ballpark of what Lazard’s next contact will look like, it’s difficult to envision him making his way back to the Packers.

As I’ve written about, Green Bay again is going to have little spending ability this offseason. They are currently $16.4 million over the salary cap and will have to restructure their way out of the red. For a team with a number of needs and little cap space, Green Bay likely doesn’t have the luxury of re-signing him, especially if the goal is for Lazard to be WR3 behind Christian Watson and either Romeo Doubs or an incoming rookie. With that said, because of how young the Packers’ receiver room currently is, adding a veteran presence makes a lot of sense, but not at this contract value.

Amos, meanwhile, ranked 78th on PFF’s list and comes with a much more manageable contract for the Packers to take on at two years, $11 million. Amos is coming off a down year by his standards, but the safety position is one of the biggest positions of need this offseason, with only Darnell Savage, Tariq Carpenter, and James Wiggins, the only players under contract.

Drafting a safety early on in the draft should certainly be on the Packers’ radar, but adding veteran stability should be on Brian Gutekunst’s to-do list as well—especially with the safeties asked to do so much in Joe Barry’s defense, as both run defenders and also with the responsibility of taking away the big passing play.

Due to Green Bay restructuring Amos’ contract on a few occasions, even if he plays elsewhere in 2023, he leaves behind a hefty $7.9 million dead cap hit it. As Ken Ingalls wrote recently, there is still a window where the Packers can extend Amos before his current contract voids, and those cap charges come due, that would actually result in cap savings for Green Bay by further pushing some of those cap charges down the road if the contract is inexpensive enough. If this ends up being the case, then a reunion makes a lot of sense.

Amos has been one of the more steady safeties in football the last few seasons, but between him and Savage, the play from this position in 2022 was underwhelming and, at times, disappointing. If Amos does return, that shouldn’t change how the Packers go about the draft. Safety will still be a major need, with neither Amos nor Savage being long-term answers at the position.