Packers Cut Ties With Lineman Who Played in 16 Games Last Season as Free Agency Opens

Nov 28, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA;  Green Bay Packers defensive end Arron Mosby (53) celebrates his sack of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (not pictured) at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images
Nov 28, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive end Arron Mosby (53) celebrates his sack of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (not pictured) at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images | Mark Hoffman -Imagn Images

While free agency news has been swirling all week, many of the reported cuts and signings couldn't officially happen until Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET — the official start of the 2025 NFL league year.

But that moment was just as important for some of the news that hasn't broken this week than the news that has. The league year beginning was also the deadline for teams to tender their exclusive rights free agents (ERFAs). So by default, if a player hasn't been tendered, they are now unrestricted free agents.

More on what that means below, but the long and short of it is that this means the Green Bay Packers look to be parting ways with defensive lineman Arron Mosby, who played in 16 games for the team in 2024.

Packers' Arron Mosby Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent After Being Refused ERFA Tender

The Green Bay Packers did not extend an ERFA tender to Arron Mosby, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. He's the only one of the team's six ERFAs that wasn't tendered — the Pack have opted to keep Emmanuel Wilson, Bo Melton, Daniel Whelan, Kadeem Telfort and Zayne Anderson.

An ERFA tender means that player's only option for playing football next season would be to sign a minimum-salary deal with their team. So basically, refusing to tender someone sends a clear message that the player is not in your future plans.

This is a bit of a surprise for Mosby, who has been on the Packers since 2023. He spent that first year entirely on the practice squad, and by his second year he had earned his way onto the 53-man roster. He was on the field for 59% of the team's special teams snaps, which was his primary role, but did play 150 defensive snaps throughout the season too.

He wasn't exactly a difference-maker on defense, but he did have half a sack and 2 QB hits plus a pair of pass breakups. PFF gave him a pretty reasonable overall grade of 62.5, which ranked 96th among 211 edge defenders for the season.

With money obviously not being an issue, Packers fans will hope that the decision to free up a roster spot means the team intends to bring in some linemen with more pass-rushing upside. Special teamers are pretty easy to come by, and the defense clearly needs to improve at getting after the QB.

Of course, this also doesn't mean the Packers can't eventually bring Mosby back. If he still hasn't signed anywhere by August, don't be surprised if he gets a shot at suiting up in training camp to at least compete for a practice squad spot.

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