3 Packers who are restricted free agents entering 2023 offseason

The Green Bay Packers have some difficult decisions to make this offseason, including which restricted free agents to keep and what tenders to offer them.

A player is considered a restricted free agent if their contract expires and they have three accrued seasons in the NFL. The team must then tender a qualifying offer in the form of a one-year contract to the players they would like to re-sign. The players can still sign with another team, but that team would have to give up draft picks (based on the level of the tender) to sign the player away.

The draft picks they must give up are based on the type of tender the initial team offered the player. Here are the three types of tenders a team can offer their restricted free agents, along with the one-year salary commitment that the team must pay the player if they don’t agree to a long-term deal:

• First-round tender ($6 million)
• Second-round tender ($4.3 million)
• Right of First Refusal ($2.6 million)

These three players on the Green Bay Packers are restricted free agents entering the 2023 offseason.

The Packers have three players who fall into the restricted free agent category. They haven’t made any qualifying offers yet, but let’s check in on who falls into this category.

Yosh Nijman

It will be fascinating to see how the situation with Nijman plays out. When all of the offensive linemen are healthy, he probably doesn’t have a starting spot with David Bakhtiari at left tackle and Zach Tom at right tackle. Still, he’s proven capable of playing either spot and filling in admirably.

Nijman might be looking for a starting gig instead of life as a backup. A second-round tender might do it for Green Bay and they’d likely let him walk if another team signs him to a deal if that tender is made. That could be a win-win for both parties.

Krys Barnes

Barnes started at inside linebacker as a rookie, but has continued to fall down the depth chart with the acquisitions of De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker. Still, he’s a nice third linebacker to have, as he can start in the case of an emergency and play some special teams.

Tyler Davis

Davis is the third tight end hitting free agency this offseason, with Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan in the unrestricted category. Davis has shown some potential throughout his tenure with the Packers, but it’s always come ins very short bursts.