The Green Bay Packers will have a lot of money to give out next off-season. Stars like AJ Dillon and Rashan Gary are coming out of their final years under contract, along with Darnell Savage, Jordan Love, and Jon Runyan. These guys all play major parts in the team, except for Jordan Love as of now, and they’re going to be asking for big paydays.
Rashan Gary – 5 years, $117.5 million, $65 million GTD
Rashan Gary has improved every single year since coming into the league in 2019. He had great mentorship with the Smith bros and has really come into his own as a player in the last 2 years. Unfortunately, his 2022 season was cut short due to a torn ACL, but he will play for the majority of the 2023 season. Looking at the averages for other outside linebackers that are the same caliber as Gary, the contracts all had a common theme. Watt, Williams, Crosby, and Chubb all got $20 million plus for the yearly salary, with Watt having a high of $28 million. Basing the contract on importance and salary cap growth, giving Gary $23.5 million annually is a steal. He’s nowhere as good as Watt and fits in better with the Crosby and Chubb averages between $22 million and $24 million. There will be incentives within the extension, for pro bowls, all pros, sack marks, and games played that could push his cap figure higher. Overall, this is the most realistic extension, and could see something pretty similar in real life.
AJ Dillon – 3 years, $16 million, $8 million GTD
AJ Dillon is an all-round great player. He’s interactive with the fans, loves it in Green Bay, and plays well for the team. I’m a big proponent of not paying running backs, but this feels like a necessity. His impact on the field is too good to just let him walk, and we don’t want another Jamaal Williams situation. Knowing Dillon’s personality, he would most definitely give Green Bay a hometown discount, which is accounted for with the reduced salary. $5.3 million annually with incentives make this a solid deal for both sides. There will be a group of people upset that we’re paying a running back again, instead of signing a stud wide receiver. That’s never going to happen, the Packers do not go out and sign elite receiving talent, they just draft them. I couldn’t tell you the last time they made a move for a guy like that. Maybe Martellus Bennett or Jared Cook but those guys aren’t what the fans are dreaming of. Regardless, it would be idiotic if we let AJ Dillon walk for nothing when he’s been a crucial part of the team.
Darnell Savage – 2 years, $7.5 million, $3 million GTD
Darnell Savage is a questionable player. He is one of the most inconsistent players on the team by a long shot. When he’s hot, he plays like a top-12 safety, but when he isn’t he misses tackles and lets guys blow right by him. He did show promise as the slot corner, but the sample size was too small to make a decision about it. His PFF score has only dropped after his great 2020 season, and it’s really obvious to see when he plays. Resigning him on a cheap 2-year deal for him to prove himself as a starter on defense is what the Packers should go for, considering his time playing safety is over in Green Bay. There should be incentives within that rely on snaps played and overall performance, due to his health being questionable too. I’m not saying this is going to happen, as I can see him being cut or traded being equally as likely. This is just a deal for Savage to prove he belongs on the football field, not only for the Packers but for the NFL as a whole too.
Jon Runyan – 4 years, $20.5 million, $7 million GTD
Jon Runyan is an extremely solid offensive lineman for the Packers. He’s reliable, doesn’t make many mental mistakes, and has shown improvement every year he’s played. He can be a solid piece for our line in the future if he continues to show growth next year. This extension is really based on his performance in 2023, similar to Savage, but will be much harder to replace due to how valuable decent offensive linemen are in the NFL. He isn’t a phenomenal player, represented by the money he would make, but I do believe he can be even better than he is right now. I would be a little upset if the Packers do let him walk next offseason, because of how consistent this guy is. He’s had 2 penalties since coming into the league and has only allowed 5 sacks as a whole in 2,264 snaps. I think that most fans would agree to keep this guy around for the foreseeable future.
Jordan Love – 4 years, $120 million, $90 million GTD
In this situation, I’m running with the idea that Rodgers gets traded. Love starts the next two years and plays well enough to get extended. This contract is really a rough estimate, as I could see it being higher if he plays at an elite level. His first contract outside the rookie deal is going to be at least $30 million due to the quarterback market inflating. Deals like Watson, Carr, and Tannehill made it impossible to pay a mid-level quarterback a fair amount of money. Daniel Jones is looking for $45 million a year and he’s nowhere near the level of Mahomes, Allen, and Rodgers. To add to that, these contracts are getting more and more money guaranteed, so that is accounted for with the large sum of $90 million. In the long term, this contract wouldn’t hinder the cap space too much because of how rapidly the salary cap is increasing. Regardless, this may not even come to fruition because there is still a lot of unknown in Green Bay’s quarterback room.
