The Green Bay Packers don’t dive into free agency often but they made a few exceptions this season. Coming off an 11-6 season where they finished third in their own division, the Packers were aggressive by adding offensive guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Nate Hobbs on big money contracts.
While the Packers are hoping that both players can make an impact, some of their additions haven’t gotten off to the best start. But in the case of Hobbs, his minicamp performance has generated praise from his new team and has him looking underpaid before he even plays a snap in Green Bay.
Nate Hobbs Had an Impressive Start During Packers Minicamp
The Packers signed Hobbs to bolster their secondary this offseason, agreeing to a four-year, $48 million contract. Hobbs’s signing came with some questions as he’s allowed a 102.1 passer rating when targeted and primarily played in the slot during his first four seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
But the Packers seemed confident that Hobbs could handle a bigger role and Matt LaFleur surprised many when he suggested the 26-year-old could play on the outside during an interview with the team’s website last April.
“I know that a lot of people just view him as a nickel. Well, we think he can play on the outside and play on the perimeter,” LaFleur said. “I just love the guy’s mentality. I love how he plays the game. He plays it the right way – he’s tough, he’s competitive, and he brings an edge.”
LaFleur’s words came to life during the offseason program as Hobbs worked on the outside during OTA workouts and minicamp. Quarterback Jordan Love was one new teammate to notice Hobbs’s performance and gave a glowing review when speaking to reporters last month.
“Bringing a guy like Nate Hobbs in, who’s got experience, as well, we’ll see what he ends up doing, whether it’s nickel or corner, but he looks good so far,” Love said. “He’s a very physical corner, nickel, whatever they put him at. The more we get around him, the more we keep seeing him, the first start I’ve seen he looks pretty good.”
It should be noted that the Raiders tried to use Hobbs on the outside during his second season in 2022 and it resulted in the lowest overall (60.9) and coverage (57.1) grades of his career according to Pro Football Focus. But if Hobbs shows his versatility, it could have several benefits for Jeff Hafley’s defense.
First, Hobbs’s versatility could allow for different looks in the secondary. With Brian Gutekunst speaking highly of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine earlier this season, the Packers could use all three in different spots, giving the addition of Hobbs more value.
The benefits also reach financially. If Hobbs can become the Packers’ top corner, Green Bay will have huge savings on the ledger. While Jaire Alexander was set to carry a $24.6 million cap hit before his release, Hobbs will count $5.9 million against the cap this season and have modest numbers of $13 million, $14 million and $14.7 million over the final three years of the contract.
This would allow the Packers to allocate their funds to players like Elgton Jenkins and Zach Tom, who are seeking extensions this offseason and help Green Bay add a player that could get them over the hump in 2025.