Last year, the Green Bay Packers were in a tough financial situation . Handling Aaron Rodgers' dead money, it was tough to make big moves, and that's ultimately why general manager Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball decided to add young and cheap talent.
The performance was better than expected, but the prudent financial approach created a more favorable circumstance for 2024 and beyond.
Now, even paying Jordan Love a top of the market contract , there is more than enough flexibility to add pieces to the roster if the Packers want to.
According to Over the Cap , the Packers still have more than $14 million in cap space this year — 11th in the league. Green Bay also has $52 million in projected cap space for 2025 — 18th in the league, which is a good spot to be in after becoming a top spender during the final years of Aaron Rodgers' tenure.
Effective cap space
Independent cap analyst Ken Ingalls does a great job of making a clearer picture of the situation, because he considers other moves the Packers have to make. So considering practice squad elevations and other cap details, like potential bonuses, the real value the Packers have to spend is $12.7 million.
The Packers would probably like to roll some of this amount over to have more flexibility next year, but they certainly can make a move or two to reinforce the roster if an opportunity presents itself.
Trades
The Packers' available cap space is particularly relevant because in mid-season trades, the acquiring team only absorbs the remaining part of the base salary and bonuses. The original team will have a dead money from the prorated signing bonus and from the base salary until the point of the deal. So $12 million is enough space to acquire significant players, if Green Bay wants to.
Some of the widely speculated trade candidates that Green Bay could use are New York Giants edge defender Azeez Ojulari and New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones.
In terms of draft capital, the Packers have all of their 2025 draft picks except the seventh-rounder, which they traded to the Tennessee Titans to acquire quarterback Malik Willis. However, Green Bay is expected to receive a 2025 compensatory seventh-round pick for losing Yosh Nijman in free agency to the Carolina Panthers.
Free agency
The Packers don't tend to be big mid-season spenders, because they know it takes time for new players to get acclimated. Nonetheless, there are still some intriguing options on the market.
That includes some offensive linemen (David Bakhtiari, DJ Humphries, Charles Leno, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Donovan Smith), cornerback Patrick Peterson, wide receiver Russell Gage, safety Micah Hyde, kickers Riley Patterson and Brandon McManus, and off-ball linebacker Shaq Leonard.
At the end of the day, the players who will decide the Packers outcome this season are already on the roster for the most part. But sometimes, it's possible to get better on the margins, and Green Bay has the ways to make it happen.
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