With less than a month until free agency begins, the Green Bay Packers are in a tense situation.
The Packers have several needs entering the offseason, but standing $1.5 million above the salary cap, per OverTheCap, general manager Brian Gutekunst will not only have to get his team compliant, but he’ll have to create money to make meaningful additions to help Green Bay make a deep playoff run in 2026.
The Packers aren’t the only team in this situation, and the cuts started to file in on Monday morning. The Miami Dolphins, coached by former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, took a red pen to their roster and are reportedly set to release edge rusher Bradley Chubb, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Â
While the moves could have another Packers tie if Malik Willis ends up in Miami as a free agent, there’s still reason for players back in Green Bay to worry, including one of last year’s big free agent signings, Aaron Banks.
Aaron Banks on the Chopping Block for Packers Ahead of Free Agency
Banks was one of the Packers’ big free agent signings one year ago, agreeing to a four-year, $77 million contract. According to OverTheCap, Banks’s contract ranked fifth among left guards in total and annual average value ($19.25 million) and seventh in guaranteed money ($27 million). While Spotrac adds that he enters 2026 with the fifth-highest cap hit among guards ($24.7 million), he didn’t come close to providing that value during his first year in Green Bay.
According to Pro Football Focus, Banks’s 55.6 overall grade ranked 61st among 85 qualifying guards last season. He also failed to record a grade above 60 in run blocking (56.3) and pass protection (54.2), and allowed 29 pressures and two sacks on 460 pass-blocking snaps.
Part of Banks’ struggles may have been due to a long list of injuries. But it’s also disappointing considering the Packers bent over backwards to accommodate his arrival. Elgton Jenkins was a Pro Bowl guard who was moved to center as part of the shuffle and struggled at his new position before suffering a lower leg fracture in November. Although Jenkins is also a cut candidate, Banks could be the one who gets the blade, considering he has a shorter track record.
Cutting Banks wouldn’t clear up a ton of money, as OTC lists the savings at $4.5 million. The Packers could also avoid giving him a $9.5 million roster bonus if they release him on the third day of the league year, and the real value could be what happens after his departure.
While Jenkins is two years older, moving him to guard makes sense if he can reach a restructured agreement with the Packers. The Packers could go ahead and sign a natural center in free agency or select one in April’s draft and have the rest of the group fall into place with Anthony Belton and Zach Tom making up the right side, with either Jordan Morgan or Rasheed Walker joining Jenkins on the left side.
It would be awfully hard for Gutekunst to cut his losses, especially when he could also cut fellow 2025 free-agent signing Nate Hobbs. But it may be in the best interest of both sides to move on and rip the band-aid by releasing Banks.