Last preseason, many predicted that the Green Bay Packers would go into a rebuilding year. However, the Packers proved the naysayers wrong with an unexpected playoff appearance and beat the Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay also had the youngest roster in the NFL and a young quarterback in Jordan Love, who exceeded expectations with his level of play.
The Packers have a lot of promise going into the 2024 season, but they have an offseason challenge to overcome. They only have 4.8 million projected in cap space. Creating the extra cap room may not be easy, but they could consider a few options.
1. Green Bay Packers DL Kenny Clark
The 28-year-old defensive lineman has started all 34 games in the past two seasons. He was a pro bowler back in 2021. In the 2023 season, he finished with 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 25 quarterback pressures. Although he provides team value as a defensive leader and veteran, he also provides a cap hit of $27.5 million.
Clark’s contract with the Packers has some interesting conditions. Last offseason, they restructured Clark’s contract with a specific situation: if they released him with the post-June-1 designation, the Packers would initiate dead-cap hits of $10.5 million in 2024 and $13.8 million in 2025. If they decide to release him early before the post-June-1 designation, they would save $17 million in cap space.
2. Green Bay Packers OT David Bakhtiari
David Bakhtiari is a more probable cut that the Packers would do during their offseason. The former Pro Bowler has a record of staying healthy throughout his career until the past few seasons. He played 13 games due to recurring knee issues and surgeries.
Under his current contract, Bakhtiari is to set a $40 million cap hit. The Packers could restructure his contract, but releasing him would make more sense financially. They can save $21 million in cap space if they cut the final year on his contract.
It would not be surprising if the Packers’ general manager, Brian Gutekunst, decides to stay with a younger roster and pursue a young aspiring tackle in the offseason to protect Jordan Love.
3. LB De’Vondre Campbell
In 2022, the Green Bay Packers extended De’Vondre Campbell’s contract for another five years. However, they may cut ties with the linebacker after two years. De’Vondre Campbell played 11 games in 2023. He was limited to those games due to neck and ankle injuries. When he played, he played a solid role in their defense, with 75 tackles and 46 solo stops. However, he was a liability within their pass coverage.
He is set to have a cap hit of $14.2 million. Two situations can happen around the time of his potential release. If he’s released before the June 1 designation, they would only save $2.6 million in cap space while triggering an $11.6 million dead cap hit. If they release him with a post-June-1 designation, they will clear $10.6 million in cap space. It would come down to the general manager’s assessment of Campbell’s team leadership and play versus the financial numbers.
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